Luis Nunez

Characterization of the theorectical radiation dose enhancement from nanoparticles.

Recently, nanoparticles have been considered as a method of providing radiation dose enhancement in tumors. In order to quantify this affect, a dose enhancement factor (DEF) is defined that represents the ratio of the dose deposited in tumor with nanoparticles, divided by the dose deposited in the tumor without nanoparticles. Materials with atomic numbers (Z) ranging from 25 to 90 are considered in this analysis. In addition, the energy spectrum for a number of external beam x-ray sources and common radionuclides are evaluated. For a nanoparticle concentration of 5 mg/ml, the DEF is < 1.05 for Co-60, Ir-192, Au-198, Cs-137, 6, 18, and 25 MV x-rays for all materials considered. However, relatively large increases in the DEF are observed for 50, 80, 100, and 140 KVp x-rays as well as Pd-103 and I-125. The DEF increases for all sources as Z varies from 25–35. From Z = 40–60, the DEF plateaus or slightly decreases. For higher Z materials (Z>70), the DEF increases and is a maximum for the highest Z materials. High atomic number nanoparticles coupled with low energy external beam x-rays or brachytherapy sources offer the potential of significantly enhancing the delivered dose.

Waste remediation using in situ magnetically assisted chemical separation

Abstract The magnetically assisted chemical separation process (MACS) combines the selective and efficient separation afforded by chemical sorption with the magnetic recovery of ferromagnetic particles. This process is being developed for treating the underground storage tanks at Hanford. These waste streams contain cesium, strontium, and transuranics (TRU) that must be removed before this waste can be disposed of as grout. The separation process uses magnetic particles coated with either 1) a selective ion exchange material or an organic extractant-containing solvent (for cesium and strontium removal) or 2) solvents for selective separation of TRU elements (e.g., TRUEX process). These coatings, by their chemical nature, selectively separate the contaminants onto the particles, which can then be recovered from the tank using a magnet. Once the particles are removed, the contaminants can either be left on the loaded particles and added to the glass feed slurry or stripped into a small volume of solution so...

Extractant-coated magnetic particles for cobalt and nickel recovery from acidic solution

Waste minimization and recycling practices can often constitute a significant fraction of industrial operating costs. Magnetically assisted chemical separation (MACS) is a simple, cost-effective process that utilizes micrometer-sized magnetic composite materials containing a sorbed layer of chelating or ion exchange material. This paper presents the use of MACS particles for recovering cobalt and nickel from acidic solution.

Transuranic separation using organophosphorus extractants adsorbed onto superparamagnetic carriers

Polymeric coated ferromagnetic carriers with an absorbed layer of octyl(phenyl)-N,N-diisobutylcarbamoylmethylphosphine oxide (CMPO) diluted by tributyl phosphate (TBP) are being evaluated for application in the separation and the recovery of low concentrations of americium, plutonium, and uranium from nuclear waste solutions. Due to their chemical nature, these extractants selectively complex americium and plutonium contaminants onto the particles and the complexed particles can be recovered from the solution using a magnet. Physical and chemical characterization of the extractant-absorbed particles were performed by gamma and liquid scintillation counting, scanning electron microscopic (SEM) micrograph, and other physical measurements. Plutonium, americium, and uranium separations have been performed at various HNO{sub 3} and HCl concentrations. Parameters were studied to determine the limitations and capacity of the process. The status of the chemistry and application of the process to Department of Energy (DOE) remediation efforts for actinide decontamination are discussed.

Convection-enhanced delivery and in vivo imaging of polymeric nanoparticles for the treatment of malignant glioma.

UNLABELLED A major obstacle to the management of malignant glioma is the inability to effectively deliver therapeutic agent to the tumor. In this study, we describe a polymeric nanoparticle vector that not only delivers viable therapeutic, but can also be tracked in vivo using MRI. Nanoparticles, produced by a non-emulsion technique, were fabricated to carry iron oxide within the shell and the chemotherapeutic agent, temozolomide (TMZ), as the payload. Nanoparticle properties were characterized and subsequently their endocytosis-mediated uptake by glioma cells was demonstrated. Convection-enhanced delivery (CED) can disperse nanoparticles through the rodent brain and their distribution is accurately visualized by MRI. Infusion of nanoparticles does not result in observable animal toxicity relative to control. CED of TMZ-bearing nanoparticles prolongs the survival of animals with intracranial xenografts compared to control. In conclusion, the described nanoparticle vector represents a unique multifunctional platform that can be used for image-guided treatment of malignant glioma. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR GBM remains one of the most notoriously treatment-unresponsive cancer types. In this study, a multifunctional nanoparticle-based temozolomide delivery system was demonstrated to possess enhanced treatment efficacy in a rodent xenograft GBM model, with the added benefit of MRI-based tracking via the incorporation of iron oxide as a T2* contrast material in the nanoparticles.

Actinide Separation of High-Level Waste Using Solvent Extractants on Magnetic Microparticles

Abstract Polymeric-coated ferromagnetic particles with an absorbed layer of octyl(phenyl)-N,N-diisobutylcarbamoylmethylphosphine oxide diluted by tributyl phosphate are being evaluated for application in the separation and the recovery of low concentrations of americium and plutonium from nuclear waste solutions. Due to their chemical nature, these extractants selectively complex americium and plutonium contaminants onto the particles, which can be recovered from the waste solution using a magnet. The effectiveness of the extractant-absorbed particles at removing transuranics (TRU) from simulated solutions and various nitric acid solutions was measured by gamma and liquid scintillation counting of plutonium and americium. The HNO3 concentration range was 0.01 to 6 M. The partition coefficients (K d) for various actinides at 2 M HNO3 were determined to be between 3000 and 30,000. These values are larger than those projected for TRU recovery by traditional liquid/liquid extraction. Results from transmission...

Evaluation of extractant-coated ferromagnetic microparticles for the recovery of hazardous metals from waste solution

A magnetically assisted chemical separation (MACS) process developed at Argonne National Laboratory is a compact method for the extraction of transuranic (TRU) metals from, and volume reduction of, liquid waste streams that exist at many DOE sites. The MACS process utilized the selectivity afforded by solvent extractant/ion-exchange materials in conjunction with magnetic separation to provide a more efficient chemical separation. Recently, the principle of the MACS process has been extended to the evaluation of acidic organophosphorus extractants for hazardous metal recovery from waste solutions. Moreover, process scale-up design issues were addressed in respect to particle filtration and recovery. Two acidic organophosphorus compounds have been investigated for hazardous metal recovery, bis(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl) phosphinic acid (Cyanex{reg_sign} 272) and bis(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl) dithiophosphinic acid (Cyanex{reg_sign} 301). These extractants coated onto magnetic microparticles demonstrated superior recovery of hazardous metals from solution as compared with data from solvent extraction experiments. The results illustrate the possibility for diverse applications of this technology for dilute waste streams. Preliminary process scale-up experiments with a high-gradient magnetic separator at Oak Ridge National Laboratory revealed the potential for very low microparticle loss rates.

Ambient pressure superconductivity at 4–5 K in β-(BEDT-TTF)2AuI2

Abstract Crystals of β-(BEDT-TTF) 2 AuI 2 , derived from the sulfur-based organic donor bis(ethylenedithio) tetrathiafulvalene [BEDT-TTF or “ET”] have been synthesized by electrocrystallization and studied by rf penetration depth measurements at ambient pressure and at temperatures down to 0.45 K. The crystals were found to be superconducting at ambient pressure with T c = 3.93–4.98 K, which represent the highest values of T c thus far observed at ambient pressure for an organic superconductor. Measurements of the upper critical field anisotropy are reported.

HIGH-GRADIENT MAGNETIC SEPARATION FOR THE TREATMENT OF HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES

ABSTRACT Argonne National Laboratory is developing an open-gradient magnetic separation (OGMS) system to fractionate and remove nonglass-forming species from high-level radioactive wastes (HLW); however, to avoid clogging, OGMS may require high-gradient magnetic separation (HGMS) as a pretreatment to remove the most magnetic species from the HLW. In this study, the feasibility of using HGMS in the pretreatment of HLW was demonstrated. A HLW simulant of Hanfords C-103 tank waste, which contained precipitated hydroxides and oxides of Fe, Al, Si, and Ca, was used. Preliminary fractionation results from a 0.3-T bench-scale HGMS unit showed that a significant amount of Fe could be removed from the HLW simulant. Between 1 and 2% of the total Fe in the sludge was removed during each stage, with over 18.5% removed in the 13 stages that were carried out. Also, in each stage, the magnetically retained fraction contained about 20% more Fe than the untreated HLW; however, it also contained a significant amount of Si...

Sorption capacity of ferromagnetic microparticles coated with CMPO

Abstract Magnetically assisted chemical separation (MACS) was developed at Argonne National Laboratory as a compact process for reducing the volume of high-level aqueous waste streams that exist at many U.S. Department of Energy sites. In the MACS process, ferromagnetic particles coated with solvent extractants are used to selectively separate transuranic nuclides and heavy metals from aqueous wastes. The contaminant-loaded particles are recovered from the waste stream by using a magnet. For the recovery of transuranic species the extractant used is octyl(phenyl)-N,N-diisobutylcarbamoylmethylphosphine oxide (CMPO) dissolved in tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP). To better understand the extraction chemistry of this solvent/particle system, europium was used to monitor the sorption capacity of the MACS particles for lanthanides and actinides. Europium concentrations varying from 10−7 M to 10−1 M were prepared with 3M NaNO3 in 0.1M HNO3. Neutron activation analysis was used to measure the concentration of europium...