SGER: Combinatorial Screening of Materials for Cesium Sensing and Separation

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

Combinatorial Screening of Materials for Cesium Sensing and Separation Electrodes coated with nickel hexacyanoferrate (NiHCF) are known to absorb, or intercalate, cesium selectively and in preference over all other alkali, rare earth, and transition metal cations. This affinity for cesium gives rise to an electrochemical signature that can be used to detect cesium even in the presence of large excesses of interfering cations. When synthesized as a bulk powder, NiHCF is known to possess a wide range of vacancy defect structures, resulting in changes to its ion intercalation properties. No comparable research has established the ability to grow structural variants of NiHCF on electrodes, nor is it known what influence these variants will have on sensor performance. This exploratory research projecct seeks to develop an inkjet-printer-based combinatorial synthesis strategy for the growth of NiHCF variants on electrodes, to assess the role of structure on the performance of cesium sensors, and to identify conditions that will optimize the cesium sensitivity. Cesium is one of the most likely radiological agents to be used in a terrorist "dirty" bomb, owing to its common use in modern society (for medicine, test instruments, and remote generators). This research program is aimed at developing high-performance, low-cost cesium sensors. Such sensors could be widely deployed in the urban environment in an effort to detect anomalous cesium levels prior to the detonation of a dirty bomb, giving public officials an opportunity to intercede. Should a cesium dirty bomb scenario play out, this sensor technology would permit widespread deployment of instruments around the contaminated site to help ensure containment.