Nuclear

From new fuels to waste disposal, next-gen nuclear reactors depend on advanced ceramics

By Eileen De Guire / August 16, 2013

Nuclear power is dead, at least in Germany and Switzerland, and perhaps a few other countries. But it is alive and well in many other parts of the world, according…

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Other materials stories that may be of interest

By Eileen De Guire / March 12, 2013

Useful news and interesting research: Washington Mills decodes particle size conversion in fused minerals Washington Mills has developed a particle size conversion chart to assist in selecting the correct grit…

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Anisotropic, transparent fluoroapatite ceramics for high-power laser applications

By Eileen De Guire / October 22, 2012

An Alfred University team led by Yiquan Wu is developing methods for synthesizing anisotropic, transparent, polycrystalline ceramics for high-power applications like laser-based fast-ignition of fusion. Credit: Wu; Alfred Univ. You…

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Video: New nuclear fuel rod ‘jacket?’ EWI’s SiC joined-tube samples stable in MIT research reactor for six months

By / October 19, 2012

[flash http://ceramictechweekly.org/wp-content/video/ed_herderick_ewi_sic_cladding.flv mode=1 f={image=http://ceramictechweekly.org/wp-content/video/ed_herderick_ewi_sic_cladding.jpg}] According to EWI researcher Edward Herderick, the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant presents a key question to the materials community. He asks, “Are…

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New alkali halide scintillator single crystals for better homeland security, medical diagnosis

By Eileen De Guire / October 4, 2012

Scintillator single crystals glowing under exposure to UV light. The compositions are (left-to-right) Lu2SiO5:Ce, Gd3(Ga,Al)5O12:Ce and Lu2SiO5:Ce,Eu (Eu is a codopant ion). The diameter is about 30 mm, and the…

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Japan’s leaders do u-turn, water down nuclear ban policy

By / September 21, 2012

Nuclear power plant control room. Credit: Wikipedia Commons. When Japan’s government last week suddenly announced that it would phase out its nuclear power plants by 2040, it probably thought it…

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MTC video: How glass–ceramic products can be machined, polished

By / September 21, 2012

I’ve known for some time that glass–ceramic products can be machined, but I actually have never seen it done, so seeing that process and what tools have to be used,…

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News from the glass and refractory worlds

By P. Carlo Ratto / September 16, 2012

• University of Sheffield researchers have shown that glass could be a better method for long-term storage, transport and disposal of intermediate level nuclear waste. ILW makes up more than…

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Japan to end nuclear power by 2040; France plans to cut back

By / September 14, 2012

Anti-Nuclear Power Plant Rally on 19 September 2011 This is a bit of a surprise, and I have no idea how this will fully reverberate through the scientific and technical…

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Other materials science stories that may be of interest

By / August 27, 2012

These color-enhanced scanning electron microscope images show nanosheets resembling tiny rose petals. The nanosheets are key components of a new type of biosensor that can detect minute concentrations of glucose…

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