From Reductive to Integrative, a Tale of Neutron Activation Analysis

by Prof. Howard Wang (University of Maryland, College Park)

Monday Oct 28, 2024, 2:30 PM → 3:30 PM Europe/Berlin

PH HS 3 (Physics Department)

Empowered by modern neutron sources and advanced data acquisition systems, neutron activation analysis (NAA) has emerged as a powerful tool in addressing challenges in broader research areas from materials and energy to environment and climate, to agriculture and medicine.  In the global effort of advancing energy storage technologies to meet the current and future demands, we have applied neutron depth profiling (NDP) to understanding the operation and failure of Li-containing rechargeable batteries.  From static compositions in thin films to dynamic transport in the bulk, from monomodal to multimodal, from 1D to 2D to 3D, from components to systems, we elucidate the evolution of NAA from a niche technique for analyzing isotopes in conventional reductive research to becoming a centerpiece in integrative measurements of complex systems.  We further discuss the potential development of NAA methods for applications in medical physics.