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Vivian Rodriguez
University of Missouri - Nuclear Science and Engineering Institute
Advisor: Dr. Tushar Ghosh
Abstract
Krypton-85 (Kr-85) may be used to develop power sources for the space exploration. Kr-85 is a beta emitting radionuclide with long half life. Although the sources of Kr-85 are limited, nuclear power plant operation generates significant amount of Kr-85 both during normal operations and reprocessing. At present, it is bottled in high pressure cylinders and allowed to decay before releasing into the atmosphere. The idea behind this project is that the Kr-85 produced by nuclear power plants can be stored in a material that can withstand high temperatures and pressures without causing leakage of the gas. Once the gas is stored, the energy being emitted by the beta decay of the krypton can potentially be used as a battery source. The long half-life of the radionuclide will create a long lasting power source. A power source with a long shelf life would be beneficial to space explorations of long periods. To test this idea, krypton is captured and stored in diamond films both natural crystals and polysynthetic crystals. Diamond was chosen to be the storage material because of its properties and availability. By the process of force diffusion, krypton was doped into the diamond lattices.
Vivian Rodriguez was raised in the small town of Olpe, Kansas. After graduating Olpe High School, she enrolled as a student at Emporia State University located in Emporia, Kansas. As a student that always enjoys math, she graduated with a B.S. in Physics and minors in Mathematics and Biology. She decided to continue her education by attending the Nuclear Science and Engineering Institute at the University of Missouri. Currently, she is in her last semester of the masters program. She will be graduating with a masters in Nuclear Engineering with an emphasis in Medical Physics. She wishes to work in radiation therapy and become a board certified Medical Physicist.
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