In a post-detonation event, attribution of the nuclear material must be done quickly. The presence of lanthanides contained within nuclear debris can serve as a characteristic “fingerprint” for the source material which, in turn, can provide valuable information regarding the nuclear material along with the device design. The rapid separation of lanthanides from post-detonation debris could be made possible through the use of small, unpressurized columns. The lanthanides, having a predominantly trivalent oxidation state, are notoriously difficult to separate. As such, small differences of their ionic radii and subsequent binding strengths are relied upon for separation. Bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (HDEHP) demonstrates a difference of five orders of magnitude in selectivity between La3+ and Lu3+. Here, ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) nanoparticles were chosen as a chromatographic support for HDEHP due to their small particle sizes, large pore volumes, high surface areas, and inherent stability in acidic environments. The HDEHP-OMC materials were investigated for Eu3+ uptake and maximum adsorption capacities under static and dynamic conditions and compared to the current state-of-the-art lanthanide chromatographic resin, LN Resin. The dynamic separation of Eu3+ and Nd3+ suggests that HDEHP-OMC materials could be used in small, unpressurized column systems with an improved separation efficiency over the current state-of-the-art material.

Dynamic separation of Eu3+ and Nd3+ using bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid functionalized ordered mesoporous carbon nanoparticles

2019 Fall National Meeting

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