Centre for Radiochemistry Research

University of Manchester logo

Prof. Stephen T. Liddle, Prof. Nikolas Kaltsoyannis, Dr Louise S. Natrajan, Dr David P. Mills

CRR, University of Manchester (UoM), Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.

Our vision is that the 'NNUF @ CRR' will be an accessible ‘one-stop-shop’ for making and studying compounds of relevance to academic and industrial radiochemistry and other nuclear-related research, enabling new generations of researchers to overcome the barriers that have long prevented discovery, analysis, and synthesis in this area.
Row of coloured bottles

Actinide complexes in solution

Image reproduced with permission of Dr David P. Mills

The CRR will be composed of controlled and supervised areas underpinned by state-of-the-art analytical techniques. HEPA-filtered controlled areas will support medium-activity level radiochemistry in low-pressure glove boxes for synthesis, molten salts, and recycling. The supervised areas will be laboratories equipped with fume cupboards for handling aqueous and organic solvents and large quantities of acids to support more traditional, low-activity level radiochemistry.

The facility will hold radioisotopes, and as such the NNUF @ CRR will support a wide range of radiochemistry and other nuclear-related research.

An indicative list of science that the NNUF @ CRR will support includes:

(i) speciation of coordination/organometallic complexes

(ii) spectroscopy

(iii) magnetism

(iv) reprocessing

(v) computational modelling

(vi) precursors to materials, fuels (e.g. ATFs), and molten salts, the latter in the MSNTL NNUF Facility.

(vii) collaboration with the RADER NNUF Facility, including in areas such as environmental radiochemistry, geochemistry, mobility, nuclear forensics, decommissioning, colloids.

The NNUF @ CRR will feature a range of capabilities, especially to underpin medium-activity level work, indicatively including:

•    Single crystal X-ray diffraction with Mo and Cu Ka sources
•    400 MHz NMR spectroscopy with multi-nuclear and variable temperature capability
•    SQUID 7 Tesla Magnetometry with variable temperature, VSM, and AC susceptibility capability
•    Low-pressure glove boxes for handling, synthesising, and recycling of active compounds
•    Alpha counters
•    Liquid scintillation
•    Gamma counters
•    Fluorescence and phosphorescence steady state and time resolved variable temperature spectroscopy (Ultra-violet, visible, and near infrared)
•    One photon confocal land multiphoton fluorescence and phosphorescence microscopy lifetime image mapping
•    Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy
•    Attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy
•    Ultra-violet, visible, and near infrared spectroscopy
•    Ball milling
•    Centrifugation
•    Stocks of various actinides and other radioisotopes.

Further information

Please see the CRR's page on the University of Manchester's website, or use the contact details provided below.

 

Availability

'NNUF @ CRR' currently offers single crystal X-ray diffraction, Super-conducting Quantum Interference Device magnetometry, alpha-counting and liquid scintillation, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Ultra-violet, visible, and near infrared, fluorescence, multi-photon, confocal microscopy and lifetime imaging, and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopies. The remaining instrumentation and capabilities are scheduled to become available later. Please reach out to the 'NNUF @ CRR' team to discuss requirements if you are interested in working with us.

 

 

Copyright NNUF @ CRR Team.