The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 29, 2011
Filed:
Jun. 13, 2008
Liviu Popa-simil, Los Alamos, NM (US);
Claudiu Iulian Muntele, Huntsville, AL (US);
Liviu Popa-Simil, Los Alamos, NM (US);
Claudiu Iulian Muntele, Huntsville, AL (US);
Other;
Abstract
The present (or current) nuclear shielding is bulky and difficult to handle due to the reduced stopping power of the neutral radiations (X, gamma, n) in materials. It is proven that these radiations are reflecting at grazing incidence angles on special substrates called super-mirrors that contain nano-layers of various materials. The usage of nano-structures in an ordered manner or of nano-tubes may create inside the nano-structure the super-mirror reflection conditions and makes these nano-structures act like wave-guide for this neutral radiation driving it and turning at angles greater than 90 degrees requiring a total thickness a few microns only. The usage of ferro or piezo electric nano-structures generates a 'shield' structure that has the wave-guides inside with the path dependent on a control voltage. The resultant device is a kind of shield that can be applied inside the core for nuclear reactor criticality control, making an electric control of the power level by adjusting the shielding transmission or outside for minimizing the nuclear reactor shielding. Other devices such as X, n imaging device, or radiation funneling to increase the efficiency of thin absorbents use are some of the potential applications.