AVS 53rd International Symposium
    Applied Surface Science Tuesday Sessions
       Session AS+SS-TuM

Paper AS+SS-TuM3
Characterization of Thin Films Produced by a Simulated Radioactive Dispersal Device

Tuesday, November 14, 2006, 8:40 am, Room 2005

Session: Environmental Materials and X-ray Spectroscopies
Presenter: D.L. Blanchard, Jr., Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Authors: D.L. Blanchard, Jr., Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
L.A. Snow, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
G.J. Lumetta, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
B.J. Cook, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
F.T. Harper, Sandia National Laboratories
Correspondent: Click to Email
We have examined the surfaces of materials subjected to a simulated radioactive dispersal device (RDD), and find significant differences in the composition of the deposited surface films depending on the material and the distance from the blast. Coupons of aluminum, concrete, and other materials, roughly 1 cm square by 1 mm to 3 mm thick were placed at distances of 5, 10 and 25 feet from the center of the blast. The simulated RDD contained non-radioactive cesium (Cs) as a surrogate for radioactive Cs. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) reveals carbon films with incorporated Cs on the surface of the exposed materials. Depth profiling by ion sputtering shows that the thickness of the film, the character of the transition from carbon film to substrate material (abrupt or gradual), and the film composition vary greatly with distance from the blast and the material exposed.