Carbon isotope separation method

Abstract

The present invention relates to: a carbon isotope separation apparatus using an electron beam heating method; and a carbon isotope separation method using same. Specifically, a carbon isotope separation apparatus according to one aspect comprises: a high vacuum electron beam chamber: a magnetic metal cylinder provided in the high vacuum electron beam chamber and including a carbon mixture storage unit on the upper surface thereof; and a water cooled sample holder in contact with the lower surface of the magnetic metal cylinder, and can efficiently separate and concentrate carbon isotopes

Description

Carbon isotope separation method

[0001] The present invention relates to a carbon isotope separation device and a carbon isotope separation and concentration method using the same.

[0002] Isotope separation technology is a technology for separating specific isotopes from a mixture of isotopes of the same element with different atomic weights.

[0003] Meanwhile, carbon is carbon-12, which has a natural composition ratio of 98.89%. 12 C) and 1.1% carbon-13( 13 C) There are two types of stable isotopes, and each isotope is extremely useful in various industrial fields, making them a crucial source of isotope separation and enrichment. However, current techniques for separating carbon isotopes require expensive equipment and specialized skills, use materials that are harmful to the environment and human health, and have low separation efficiency.

[0004] One aspect of the present invention provides a separation device capable of efficiently separating and concentrating carbon isotopes and a method for separating carbon isotopes using the same.

[0005] One aspect of the present invention provides a carbon isotope separation device including: a high vacuum electron beam chamber; a magnetic metal cylinder provided in the high vacuum electron beam chamber and including a carbon mixture storage portion on an upper surface; and a water cooled sample holder in contact with a lower surface of the magnetic metal cylinder.

[0006] The above magnetic metal may be nickel or cobalt.

[0007] The above sample holder may be a graphite precipitate.

[0008] The body of the above magnetic metal cylinder may be a diffusion path for carbon elements.

[0009] Another aspect of the present invention is a method for separating carbon isotopes using the carbon isotope separation device, wherein the carbon mixture storage section of the magnetic metal cylinder 12 C and 13 A method for separating carbon isotopes is provided, comprising: a step of introducing a carbon mixture containing C and eutecticizing it by electron beam heating; and a step of precipitating graphite through diffusion of carbon elements.

[0010] The above magnetic metal cylinder may form a temperature gradient that decreases toward the lower surface in the carbon mixture storage section.

[0011] The temperature of the above carbon mixture storage unit may be 1300°C to 1400°C, and the temperature of the lower surface may be 600°C to 900°C.

[0012] It may be possible to control the carbon isotope to be separated by selecting the metal component of the magnetic metal cylinder.

[0013] According to the carbon isotope separation method of the present invention, carbon isotopes can be separated economically and environmentally friendly and their relative abundance ratios can be controlled.

[0014] Specifically, the carbon isotope separation method according to the aspect is expected to be advantageous for application in actual industrial sites because it is environmentally friendly as it does not use materials harmful to the human body and the environment, and also has the advantages of a simple process and high energy efficiency.

[0015] Figure 1 is a drawing of a magnetic metal cylinder according to one embodiment.

[0016] Figure 2 is a photograph of the lower surface of a magnetic metal cylinder before and after performing carbon element diffusion according to one embodiment.

[0017] Figure 3 is a drawing of a magnetic metal cylinder according to one embodiment.

[0018] Figures 4 to 6 are Raman spectra for the upper and lower surfaces of the magnetic metal cylinder after carbon element diffusion in Examples 1 to 3.

[0019] Unless otherwise defined herein, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention.

[0020] As used herein, the singular forms may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0021] Throughout this specification, the terms "comprises," "includes," "contains," or "has" a component, unless specifically stated to the contrary, do not exclude other components, but rather may include other components, and do not exclude additional unrecited elements, materials, or processes.

[0022] The numerical ranges used herein include the lower and upper limits and all values ​​within that range, increments logically derived from the shape and width of the defined range, all doubly defined values, and all possible combinations of the upper and lower limits of numerical ranges defined in different shapes. Unless otherwise specified herein, values ​​outside the defined range that may arise due to experimental error or rounding of values ​​are also included in the defined numerical range.

[0023] Unless otherwise specified herein, “about” may be considered a value within 30%, 25%, 20%, 15%, 10% or 5% of the stated value.

[0024] Below, the present disclosure will be described in detail. However, this is merely exemplary and the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described as examples.

[0025] One aspect of the present invention provides a device capable of separating and concentrating carbon isotopes using electron beam heating, and a method for separating carbon isotopes using the same.

[0026] A carbon isotope separation device according to one aspect may include a high vacuum electron beam chamber; a magnetic metal cylinder (Fig. 1) provided in the high vacuum electron beam chamber and including a carbon mixture storage portion on an upper surface; and a water cooled sample holder in contact with a lower surface of the magnetic metal cylinder.

[0027] The above magnetic metal can be used without limitation as long as it is a magnetic metal with high solubility in carbon, and non-limiting examples thereof include nickel, cobalt, or iron.

[0028] The body of the above magnetic metal cylinder may be a diffusion path for carbon elements, and the water-cooled sample holder may be a graphite precipitation portion where the carbon elements that have diffused and moved are cooled and precipitated.

[0029] Another aspect of the present invention provides a method for separating carbon isotopes using the above-described carbon isotope separation device.

[0030] A method for separating carbon isotopes according to one aspect comprises: storing a carbon mixture in the magnetic metal cylinder; 12 C and 13 It may include a step of introducing a carbon mixture including C and eutecticizing the carbon mixture and the magnetic metal by an electron beam heating method; and a step of precipitating graphite through diffusion of the carbon element.

[0031] A method for separating carbon isotopes according to one aspect may further include a step of annealing the magnetic metal cylinder before introducing the carbon mixture, thereby facilitating diffusion of the carbon element.

[0032] The above annealing can be performed, for example, at a temperature range of 1300 to 1400°C for 40 to 60 hours under a hydrogen atmosphere.

[0033] According to a method for separating carbon isotopes according to one aspect, a temperature gradient that decreases toward the lower surface may be formed in the carbon mixture storage portion of the magnetic metal cylinder by the electron beam heating, and accordingly, a carbon element that diffuses and moves may be precipitated on the lower surface.

[0034] When the electron beam heating is performed, the temperature of the carbon mixture storage section may be 1,300°C to 1,400°C, or 1,320°C to 1,400°C, or 1,320°C to 1,350°C, and the temperature of the lower surface (water-cooled sample holder, graphite precipitation section) may be 600°C to 900°C, and may vary depending on the length of the magnetic metal cylinder.

[0035] The carbon isotope separation through the above-described electric beam heating may be performed for 6 to 8 hours.

[0036] It may be possible to control the carbon isotope to be separated by selecting the metal component of the magnetic metal cylinder, for example, in a nickel-component magnetic metal cylinder, 12C diffuses more quickly and is absorbed from the lower surface. 12 C can be concentrated and precipitated, and in the magnetic metal cylinder containing cobalt, 13 C spreads more rapidly on the lower surface 13 C can be concentrated and precipitated.

[0037] Hereinafter, the above-described implementation examples will be described in more detail through examples. However, the following examples are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the scope of the rights.

[0038] [Example 1]

[0039] Nickel metal bulk (Shaanxi Super Metal Materials Co. Limited) with a purity of 99.9 wt% was processed into a cylinder shape as shown in Fig. 1, and the unit in Fig. 1 is mm. The magnetic metal cylinder made of nickel was annealed at 1400°C for 60 hours in a hydrogen atmosphere.

[0040] since, 12 C carbon powder (Alfa Aesar) and 13 C carbon powder (Cambridge Isotope Laboratories Inc.) 12 C / 13 A carbon mixture source mixed at a weight ratio of C=1.4 was added to isopropanol and sonicated for 5 minutes (Qsonica sonicator at ~300 W power) to prepare a carbon mixture dispersion. The carbon mixture dispersion was then added to the carbon mixture storage compartment of a magnetic metal cylinder using a micropipette, and the solvent was then dried.

[0041] The above carbon mixture-magnetic metal cylinder system was installed in a high vacuum electron beam chamber, and the lower surface of the magnetic metal cylinder was in contact with a water-cooled sample holder. The internal pressure of the high vacuum electron beam chamber was 10 -7 torr, and the temperature of the carbon mixture was heated to 1330℃ using an electron beam method to eutectic the carbon mixture and the magnetic metal, thereby inducing diffusion of carbon elements within the magnetic metal cylinder. After 6 hours, it was confirmed that graphite was precipitated on the lower surface of the magnetic metal cylinder (Fig. 2-(b)).

[0042] [Example 2]

[0043] The length of the magnetic metal cylinder was changed as shown in Fig. 3, and the isotope ratio of the carbon mixture ( 12 C / 13 C) was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 above, except that the weight ratio was changed from 1.4 to 1.

[0044] [Example 3]

[0045] The same procedure as in Example 1 was followed, except that cobalt metal bulk (Shaanxi Super Metal Materials Co. Limited) with a purity of 99.95 wt% was used instead of nickel metal as the magnetic metal cylinder material.

[0046] In the above example, after the carbon element diffusion experiment, the Raman spectrum results for the graphite deposited on the carbon mixture storage part (source side) and the water-cooled sample holder (bottom side) (Figs. 4 to 6) 13 The C content (at%) was calculated (Nano Lett. 2009, 9, 12, 4268-4272) and is listed in Table 1 below. Here, the Raman spectrum was performed in mapping mode using a confocal Raman microscope (WITec) with a 532 nm laser source, ×100 objective, ~1 mW laser power, 5 accumulations, and 10 s acquisition time, and the resulting spectrum was plotted by analyzing it with Matlab software. The average position of the G peak shown in the figure was calculated by fitting a Gaussian function.

[0047] Source side ( 13 C, at%)Bottom side ( 13 C, at%)Example 135.6 ±1.8 at %31.1 ±1.0 at %Example 246.1 ±0.7 at %41.3 ±1.1 at %Example 336.3 ±1.3 at %41.5 ±1.8 at %

[0048] Referring to Table 1 above, in the case of Examples 1 and 2 using a magnetic metal cylinder made of nickel, the graphite precipitated from the water-cooled sample holder (bottom side) was concentrated compared to the graphite in the carbon mixture storage portion (source side). 12 It can be seen that it has a C content. From this, it is a relatively light element. 12 It can be seen that C can diffuse more quickly through nickel metal and precipitate in concentrated amounts on the bottom side.

[0049] On the other hand, in Example 3 using a magnetic metal cylinder made of cobalt, the concentration was concentrated on the bottom side. 13 It was confirmed that the C content showed opposite results to nickel.

[0050] That is, the carbon isotope that is separated can be selected according to the type of magnetic metal, and through repeated performance of this experiment, pure 13 C and 12 It is expected that C can be separated.

[0051] As described above, the present invention has been described by limited embodiments, but these are provided only to help a more general understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can make various modifications and variations based on this description.

[0052] Therefore, the idea of ​​the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, and all things that are equivalent or equivalent to the claims described below as well as the claims are considered to fall within the scope of the idea of ​​the present invention.

Claims

1. High vacuum electron beam chamber; A magnetic metal cylinder provided in the high vacuum electron beam chamber and including a carbon mixture storage portion on the upper surface; and A carbon isotope separation device comprising a water cooled sample holder in contact with the lower surface of the magnetic metal cylinder.

2. In paragraph 1, A carbon isotope separation device, wherein the magnetic metal is nickel or cobalt.

3. In paragraph 1, A carbon isotope separation device, wherein the sample holder is a graphite precipitate.

4. In paragraph 1, A carbon isotope separation device in which the body of the above magnetic metal cylinder is a diffusion path of carbon elements.

5. A method for separating carbon isotopes using a carbon isotope separation device according to any one of clauses 1 to 4, In the carbon mixture storage section of the above magnetic metal cylinder 12 C and 13 A method for separating carbon isotopes, comprising: a step of introducing a carbon mixture containing C and eutecticizing it by electron beam heating; and a step of precipitating graphite through diffusion of carbon elements.

6. In paragraph 5, A method for separating carbon isotopes, wherein the magnetic metal cylinder forms a temperature gradient that decreases toward the lower surface in the carbon mixture storage section.

7. In paragraph 6, A method for separating carbon isotopes, wherein the temperature of the carbon mixture storage section is 1300°C to 1400°C, and the temperature of the lower surface is 600°C to 900°C.

8. In paragraph 5, A method for separating carbon isotopes, wherein the metal component of the magnetic metal cylinder is selected to control the separated carbon isotopes.

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