Page 37 - Research & Innovation Report 2020

SCIENCE

Centre a Critical Research Hub

“My main role as scientist at CHRTEM is overseeing to implement this technology,” says Dr Oliver. “China
research and the operation of our aberration-corrected already has a commercial reactor using this technology
Transmission Electron Microscope (ac-TEM),” explains and the US is actively researching and testing this
Dr Jaco Olivier, chief scientist, electron microscopist within a reactor environment. The business case will
and postgraduate supervisor in the Centre for be determined by complex economics worldwide.”
High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy
(CHRTEM), Department of Physics. “I also supervise Another paper published in 2020 in Chemical Physics,
PhD students at Mandela University and nationally, with then PhD student Bruce Mastoroudes as first
and provide support to all the students who use the author, and Dr Olivier as collaborator (South African
facility.” Nuclear Energy Corporation, or NECSA) looks at
the development of synthesis methods for derived
The Centre published 30 articles in 2020 in a variety of titanates. “These are titanium-based nanosheets
material science and physics journals, all internationally that can be used for a variety of applications – in our
peer-reviewed. One of these was an article by case we were investigating synthesis for the removal
Dr Olivier in the Journal of Nuclear Materials on of heavy metal contaminants from water or aqueous
nanostructural characterisation of materials working on solutions,” Dr Olivier explains.
the study of fission product transport in TRi-structural
ISOtropic (TRISO) particle fuel (a robust nuclear fuel) “Much of the water from mines and the nuclear
in collaboration with nuclear research facilities in the industry contains radioactive elements or heavy metals
United States. – uranium and palladium – and the titanates can be
put into the water to adsorb the radioactive elements
TRISO particles are made up of a uranium, carbon or heavy metal, which is then removed from the water
and oxygen fuel kernel. The kernel is encapsulated in when you retrieve the titanates.”
three layers of carbon- and ceramic-based materials
that prevent the release of radioactive fission products. This collaborative project between Mandela University,
It is far safer than fuel rods because it stops radioactive North-West University, and NECSA is also the focus of
material from getting out. “There is a worldwide effort MSc candidate Aluwani Guga’s dissertation.

“The Centre published 30 articles in 2020 in a

variety of material science and physics journals,

all internationally peer-reviewed.”

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