No Arabic abstract
The technique of laser ablation in liquids is applied to produce of Boron-containing nanoparticles from ablation of a Fe$_2$B bulk target enriched in 10B isotope. Laser ablation of the target in liquid isopropanol results in partial disproportionation to free Fe and Boron while nanoparticles of Fe$_2$B are also presented. Nanoparticles are magnetic and can be collected using a permanent magnet. Average size of nanoparticles is of 15 nm. The content of 10B in generated nanoparticles amounts to 76,9 %. Nanoparticles are biocompatible and can be used in Boron Neutron Capture Therapy.
Selective accumulation of B-10 compound in tumour tissue is a fundamental condition for the achievement of BNCT (Boron Neutron Capture Therapy), since the effectiveness of therapy irradiation derives just from neutron capture reaction of B-10. Hence, the determination of the B-10 concentration ratio, between tumour and healthy tissue, and a control of this ratio, during the therapy, are essential to optimise the effectiveness of the BNCT, which it is known to be based on the selective uptake of B-10 compound. In this work, experimental methods are proposed and evaluated for the determination in vivo of B-10 compound in biological samples, in particular based on neutron radiography and gammaray spectroscopy by telescopic system. Measures and Monte Carlo calculations have been performed to investigate the possibility of executing imaging of the 10B distribution, both by radiography with thermal neutrons, using 6LiF/ZnS:Ag scintillator screen and a CCD camera, and by spectroscopy, based on the revelation of gamma-ray reaction products from B-10 and the H. A rebuilding algorithm has been implemented. The present study has been done for the standard case of B-10 uptake, as well as for proposed case in which, to the same carrier, is also synthesized Gd-157, in the amount of is used like a contrast agent in NMRI.
This manuscript provides a response to a recent report by Mazzone et al. available online on arXiv that, in turn, tentatively aims at demonstrating the inefficacy of proton boron capture in hadrotherapy. We clarify that Mazzone et al. do not add any scientific or technical insights to the points extensively discussed in the original manuscript by Cirrone et al., and/or in the series of iterations had with the Referee, which ultimately lead to the publication of our original and pioneering experimental work. Here we summarize some of the key points of the long scientific debate we had during the review process of paper by Cirrone et al., which are very similar to the considerations presented by Mazzone et al.. In conclusion, no quantitative explanation of our robust experimental achievements presented in Cirrone et al. is provided in Mazzone et al.
Aluminum monochloride (AlCl) has been proposed as a promising candidate for laser cooling to ultracold temperatures, and recent spectroscopy results support this prediction. It is challenging to produce large numbers of AlCl molecules because it is a highly reactive open-shell molecule and must be generated in situ. Here we show that pulsed-laser ablation of stable, non-toxic mixtures of Al with an alkali or alkaline earth chlorides, denoted XCln, can provide a robust and reliable source of cold AlCl molecules. Both the chemical identity of XCln and the Al:XCln molar ratio are varied, and the yield of AlCl is monitored using absorption spectroscopy in a cryogenic gas. For KCl, the production of Al and K atoms was also monitored. We model the AlCl production in the limits of nonequilibrium recombination dominated by first-encounter events. The non-equilibrium model is in agreement with the data and also reproduces the observed trend with different XCln precursors. We find that AlCl production is limited by the solid-state densities of Al and Cl atoms and the recondensation of Al atoms in the ablation plume. We suggest future directions for optimizing the production of cold AlCl molecules using laser ablation.
Far-ultraviolet (FUV) scintillation signals have been measured in heavy noble gases (argon, krypton, xenon) following boron-neutron capture ($^{10}$B($n,alpha$)$^7$Li) in $^{10}$B thin films. The observed scintillation yields are comparable to the yields from some liquid and solid neutron scintillators. At noble gas pressures of 107 kPa, the number of photons produced per neutron absorbed following irradiation of a 1200 nm thick $^{10}$B film was 14,000 for xenon, 11,000 for krypton, and 6000 for argon. The absolute scintillation yields from the experimental configuration were calculated using data from (1) experimental irradiations, (2) thin-film characterizations, (3) photomultiplier tube calibrations, and (4) photon collection modeling. Both the boron films and the photomultiplier tube were characterized at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Monte Carlo modeling of the reaction cell provided estimates of the photon collection efficiency and the transport behavior of $^{10}$B($n,alpha$)$^7$Li reaction products escaping the thin films. Scintillation yields increased with gas pressure due to increased ionization and excitation densities of the gases from the $^{10}$B($n,alpha$)$^7$Li reaction products, increased frequency of three-body, excimer-forming collisions, and reduced photon emission volumes (i.e., larger solid angle) at higher pressures. Yields decreased for thicker $^{10}$B thin films due to higher average energy loss of the $^{10}$B($n,alpha$)$^7$Li reaction products escaping the films. The relative standard uncertainties in the measurements were determined to lie between 14 % and 16 %. The observed scintillation signal demonstrates that noble gas excimer scintillation is promising for use in practical neutron detectors.
Formation of molecular H2 and O2 is experimentally studied under laser exposure of water colloidal solution to radiation of a Nd:YAG laser at pulse duration of 10 ns and laser fluence in the liquid of order of 100 J/cm2. It is found the partial pressure of both H2 and O2 first increases with laser exposure time and saturates at exposures of order of 1 hour. The balance between O2 and H2 content depends on the laser energy fluence in the solution and is shifted towards H2 at high fluences. Possible mechanisms of formation of the dissociation products are discussed, from direct dissociation of H2O molecules by electrons of plasma breakdown to emission of laser-induced plasma in liquid.