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MA/MSc Internship for EUGLOH program

Title: Proof of Concept of in operando H2O2 analysis using flash photolysis

Keywords: Laser flash photolysis, H2O2, water radiolysis, hadrontherapy, simulation

Internship Duration: 30/11/-1 - 30/11/-1


Head of the hosting team: BALDACCHINO Gérard

Website: Click here

Address of the host laboratory:
CEA / LIDYL (Laboratory Interactions Dynamics and Lasers)
Team DICO - Dynamics in COdensed Matter
CEA PARIS SACLAY
91191 GIF SUR YVETTE FRANCE

Supervisor: Gérard BALDACCHINO
E-mail: gerard.baldacchino@cea.fr
Phone: +33 1 69 08 57 02




Internship description:

In radiation chemistry, the formation of H2O2 during the radiolysis of water with ion beams
(protons, alpha, etc.) is poorly understood. Indeed, the analysis of H2O2 is only carried out by post-mortem analysis; meaning, when the irradiated sample is analyzed in the laboratory, a few minutes later. H2O2 is relatively stable, but 1/it disappears by reaction during radiolysis if it is not protected from attacks by the hydroxyl radical or the hydrated electron; 2/it disappears on contact with metallic particles/surface, even those present as impurities. Measurements of H2O2 formation under an ionizing particle beam are therefore very complex and often subject to controversy. As H2O2 has the property of being easily photolyzed with laser excitation in UVA-B giving 2 hydroxyl radicals, we can use the nanosecond flash photolysis technique and the reactivity of species like Br-, Cl- or even O2 to measure the concentration of H2O2 over time, while the sample is being irradiated (in operando): this constitutes a 3-beam experiment. The internship will therefore consist of using the LIDYL/DICO laser installation dedicated to nanosecond flash photolysis and testing/comparing different chemical systems to best configure an experiment which will ultimately be carried out under a pulsed ion beam. Before that, the experiment will be simulated with a deterministic code in order to take into account the complex process of water radiolysis.

Techniques used during the internship:

Laser photolysis, flash photolysis
Chemsimul code for deterministic simulation of water radiolysis

Bibliography:

1. Wasselin-Trupin, V., Baldacchino, et al. Hydrogen peroxide yields in water radiolysis by high-energy ion beams at constant LET. Radiat. Phys. Chem. 65, 53–61 (2002).
2. Ghormley, J. A. & Hochanadel, C. J. The yields of hydrogen and hydrogen’ peroxide in the irradiation of oxygen saturated water with cobalt gamma-rays. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 76, 3351–3352 (1954).
3. Blain, G. et al. Proton Irradiations at Ultra-High Dose Rate vs. Conventional Dose Rate: Strong Impact on Hydrogen Peroxide Yield. Radiat. Res. 198, 318–324 (2022).
4. Iwamatsu, K., Sundin, S. & LaVerne, J. A. Hydrogen peroxide kinetics in water radiolysis. Radiat. Phys. Chem. 145, 207–212 (2018).


Possibility of PhD : Yes

Remarks concerning the PhD position: CFR CEA Bourse asked

Research field(s) of interest to the hosting team:
Language(s) spoken in the host laboratory: FRENCH and ENGLISH