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WIPP: Lessons in transportation safety
As part of a future consent-based approach by the federal government to site new deep geologic repositories for nuclear waste, local communities and states that are considering hosting such facilities are sure to have many questions. Currently, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico is the only example of such a repository in operation, and it offers the opportunity for state and local officials to visit and judge for themselves the risks and benefits of hosting a similar facility. But its history can also provide lessons for these officials, particularly the political process leading up to the opening of WIPP, the safety of WIPP operations and transportation of waste from generator facilities to the site, and the economic impacts the project has had on the local area of Carlsbad, as well as the rest of the state of New Mexico.
N. A. Bulychev
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 81 | Number 8 | November 2025 | Pages 827-832
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2025.2454185
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In this study, copper and cobalt metal nanoparticles were fabricated using a plasma discharge in a hexane and toluene environment influenced by strong ultrasonic cavitation. The resulting nanoparticles were analyzed through methods of dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy, and further on, measurements of their surface electrokinetic potential. The findings indicate that the particles were spherical, measuring approximately 20 to 80 nm in size, and demonstrated substantial resistance to aggregation as well as to sedimentation.
The electrokinetic potential values of the nanoparticle surfaces were monitored during their interaction with the water-soluble polymer polyvinyl alcohol. It was demonstrated that ultrasonic effects positively impacted the electrokinetic potential of the metal nanoparticle surfaces. Additionally, the experiments highlighted the potential for conducting high-temperature plasma-chemical reactions that could be utilized in fusion technology.
Additional study in this area has demonstrated that nanoparticles of different compositions, created under these conditions, possess an active surface featuring many unbalanced bonds and defects due to intensive ultrasonic treatment. This enables them to effectively engage with both organic and inorganic substances and matrices, and moreover, facilitate the development of new hybrid organic-inorganic composite materials.