Work

Impact of collodion thickness on fission track generation within Lexan employed for nuclear forensic analyses

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: We report results from a computational study of fission track damage within a Lexan substrate caused by 235 U suspended within a collodion film of varied thickness. MCNP6.3 was used to model energy deposition and displacements per atom within a Lexan film coated by a film of collodion, located within the air-filled 6 inch dry tube of a TRIGA reactor. The collodion layer was varied between 20 and 100 μm thickness, resulting in an 8.8% difference in energy deposition and 12% difference in displacements-per-atom within the Lexan substrate. These findings indicate that collodion adhesive thickness has a moderate impact on the localized energy deposition and damage environment within Lexan. This sensitivity can inform high-precision forensic reconstructions where damage quantification is critical.

Source: Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry

DOI: 10.1007/s10967-026-10870-8

Authors: Ryan Chapman, Zach Meisel, Abigail Bickley

Institutions: Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Nuclear materials and radiation effects

Subfield: Materials Chemistry

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,790

Funder: Air Force Research Laboratory