[en] The analysis is carried out of the application of a new hydrogen based alternative fuel as ecological contribution of the coal thermal power plants operation. Given the fact that coal thermal power plants are seen as the largest producers, not only of CO₂, but of all others harmful gases, the idea is initiated to use the new alternative fuel as an additive to the coal which would result in much better performance of the coal power plants from an ecological point of view. It is possible to use such a fuel in relation of 10-30% of former coal use. The positive influence of such an application is much bigger than relative used quantity. This lecture has a goal to incite potential investors to create conditions for industrial testing of the new fuel. It will be very interesting to animate investors for large-scale production of the new fuel, too.(author).

[en] Developments of semiconductor detectors with increased tolerance to the high radiation levels are resulting often in devices that deviate significantly from the classical planar electrode designs. Shorter collection distances that are utilised in 3D detectors (silicon and diamond) in which electrodes are penetrating into the crystal bulk, and the introduction of charge multiplication regions such as in silicon LGADs, are two strategies that have been used to increase radiation hardness. One of the possible techniques to explore charge transport properties in such three-dimensional structures is certainly IBIC – ion beam induced charge, a microprobe technique that utilizes single ions of MeV energy range which create charge pairs along the ion trajectory. By the use of different ion species and respective energies, measurable charge signals give insight into carrier transport properties in wide range of detector depths (from 1 to hundreds of micrometers), while 2D raster scanning of ions focussed to micrometre spot size provide planar distribution of charge transport efficiency. Recent improvements of the IBIC setup at the RBI microprobe facility, will be presented along with examples of interpad distance and gain suppression studies in LGAD detectors. In the context of diamond detectors, capabilities of the setup to work at elevated temperatures (up to 450 C) gave us possibilities to characterise charge transport properties and trapping levels in diamond.

[en] The ion beam induced charge (IBIC) technique is a well-established, powerful experimental tool for the study of charge transport properties in semiconductor materials, providing the unique advantage of individual charge pulse measurement, produced while fast ion interacts with the sample material. The information about the electronic transport of semiconductors measured by IBIC is obtained down to the micrometer level by modulating the analytical depth, using ions of different energies, and with the use of a focused ion beam which is scanned over the surface of the samples. In the Laboratory for Ion Beam Interactions of the Ruđer Bošković Institute (RBI), two microbeam end stations are installed and the group has a long experience in the characterization of electronic materials and devices by means of all variations of the IBIC technique. In this presentation we highlight examples of the recent IBIC applications, done on a variety of samples and carried out within the RBI and with collaborators from different research fields, in the framework of the EU projects RADIATE, AIDA2020 and EUROfusion, IAEA CRP project G42008 - Facilitating Experiments with Ion Beam Accelerators and CERIC-ERIC analytical infrastructure network.

[en] Recently we developed a high resolution wavelength dispersive X-ray spectrometer based on the flat diffraction crystals for use with focused ion beams and used it to study chemical effects in ion beam induced Si K X-ray spectra of silicon and its selected binary compounds. In this work we extended the study to selected silicates. We measured high resolution Si Kα and Kβ X-ray spectra of three silicates: feldspar, kyanite and tourmaline. The spectra have been measured with 2 MeV protons (Kα and Kβ regions) and 20 MeV carbon ions (only Kα region). The results obtained for peak relative intensities were analysed and compared with the related relative intensities obtained from Si, SiC and SiO₂.

[en] The differential cross sections of the first two proton groups of the ${}^{12}\mathrm{C}$(${}^3\mathrm{He}$,p)${}^{14}\mathrm{N}$ reaction were determined within the ${}^3\mathrm{He}$ energy range 1.34–2.86 MeV and for backward angles from 107^o${107}^{\mathrm{o}}$ to ${164}^{\mathrm{o}}$ with $2^{\mathrm{o}}$ steps using two double sided silicon strip detectors. The results are presented in graphical form and they are also given as tables in the Appendix. Aiming to assist in the enrichment of the reaction database and the improvement of the differential cross section data quality, the determined cross sections were benchmarked with the measurement of thick target reaction yields from a pure glassy carbon target at two ${}^3\mathrm{He}$ energies, 2.0 and 2.7 MeV. Furthermore, the data were accompanied by R-Matrix theory calculations, allowing for cross section data interpolation with sufficient accuracy.

[en] In 2013, the first experimental setup for the Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry with MeV ions was installed at the RBI heavy ion microprobe. The setup is based on a linear TOF spectrometer and a pulsed ion beam. It is the first accelerator based IBA technique at the RBI that can provide information about molecular composition of the analysed samples. MeV SIMS is a surface sensitive technique where molecules are desorbed only from the uppermost layers. Use of MeV instead of keV ions ensures less fragmentation and detection of intact molecules, which facilitates the interpretation of the obtained mass spectra. So far, we have successfully applied MeV SIMS in biology for the molecular imaging of liver tissue and single cells at the submicron level, in cultural heritage for the identification and 2D imaging of synthetic organic pigments, and in forensics for the determination of the deposition order of different writing tools. To overcome some of the limitations related with ion beam handling, as well as with the maximal sample sizes, a capillary microprobe was recently built at the zero-degree beam line where heavy ions are collimated to the micron dimensions with a conical glass capillary. Also, a reflectron type TOF spectrometer was used, allowing for much better mass resolution than a linear TOF. As the secondary molecular ion yield strongly depends on the electronic stopping power, it is clear that the use of heavier ions, such as I or Au, with energies up to 30 MeV will make the technique more sensitive. The most important results obtained by both TOF setups will be presented and discussed. (author)

[en] We present the Dual-beam ion irradiation facility for FUsion materials (DiFU) developed at Ruđer Bošković Institute in Zagreb, Croatia. It has a versatile setup which allows irradiation of fusion materials samples by one or two ion beams as well as other similar experiments. Two beamlines come to the DiFU chamber at an angle of 170 between them, from 6 MV HVE Tandem VDG and 1 MV HVE Tandetron accelerator. Ion beam handling and scanning systems enable fast electrostatic scanning of the beams over the sample at kHz frequencies, and irradiation of areas up to 30 x 30 mm². The sample holder enables XYZ positioning of heated, cooled or room temperature samples. Ion fluxes are measured indirectly by insertion of two large Faraday cups in ion beams and the ion flux is also monitored continuously by two sets of XY slits. Conditions during irradiation are monitored by a set of thermocouples, an IR camera, a high-sensitive video-camera, and a residual gas analyser. The DiFU facility has been developed according to ASTM standard E521-16 with support from EUROfusion, the IAEA and the Croatian Science Foundation.

[en] Full text: The Rudjer Boskovic Institute Tandem Accelerator Facility is equipped with a number of end-stations dedicated to ion beam analysis (IBA), modification of materials and nuclear physics experiments. IBA is performed at the: (1) nuclear microbeam, (2) broad-beam in-vacuum and (3) external beam end-stations. Several lBA techniques can be used simultaneously, Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) and Particle Induced Gamma-ray Emission (PIGE) at the external beam end-station, and additionally Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS) at the in-vacuum end-station. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis is a technique complementary to PIXE. Both techniques offer high analytical potential for multi-elemental investigations and material characterization. Due to different excitation mechanisms, PIXE generally exhibits higher sensitivity for lighter elements and XRF for heavier, whereas they also have different in-sample depth sensitivities. Although they use different excitation sources, both techniques can use the same data acquisition modules. With the development of miniature, low power and lightweight X-ray tubes it is possible to incorporate an X-ray source within the IBA setup and combine the two techniques for simultaneous use. In this work, the unification of the PIXE and XRF techniques at the RBI external ion beam analysis setup has been investigated and the results are discussed. This has been done by installing a transmission miniature X-ray tube at the end-station. The tube has been properly positioned in order to irradiate the same spot on the sample as the ion beam used for PIXE/PIGE measurements. Our home made data acquisition system SPECTOR, used regularly for the IBA measurements, has been also used to acquire the XRF spectra. At first, the X-ray tube has been installed at the in-vacuum IBA station, and then to the external beam end-station. Test measurements have been carried out on various standard reference materials using both systems and the results have been analyzed. The standard PIXE and XRF spectra have been collected, as well as spectra obtained by the simultaneous ion beam and X-ray irradiation of the analyzed sample. The effects of the combined particle and X-ray induced characteristic X-ray emission have been studied and discussed. The work has been carried out with the hypothesis that when PIXE and XRF are unified into one integrated set up, their complementarities can enhance the analytical capabilities of the combined measurement system improving the quality of the obtained results. (author)

[en] We have developed a small wavelength dispersive X-ray spectrometer to explore the possibility of performing chemical speciation on microscopic samples utilizing focused ion beams available at the Rudjer Boskovic Institute ion microprobe. Although PIXE spectra are in principle chemically invariant, small influence of chemical effects could be observed even with Si(Li) or SDD detectors. Such chemical effects can be clearly seen with high resolution crystal X-ray spectrometers having energy resolution of several eV. A dedicated vacuum chamber, housing the diffraction crystal, sample holder and CCD X-ray detector, was constructed and positioned behind the main ion microprobe vacuum chamber. Here we will briefly describe the spectrometer, and illustrate its capabilities on measured K X-ray spectra of selected sulfur compounds. We will also demonstrate its abilities to resolve K and M X-ray lines irresolvable by solid state ED detectors usually used in PIXE.

[en] Discovered in late 1817, cadmium is currently one of the most important occupational and environmental pollutants. It is associated with renal, neurological, skeletal and other toxic effects, including reproductive toxicity, genotoxicity, and carcinogenicity. There is still much to find out about its mechanisms of action, bio markers of critical effects, and ways to reduce health risks. At present, there is no clinically efficient agent to treat cadmium poisoning due to predominantly intracellular location of cadmium ions. This article gives a brief review of cadmium-induced oxidative stress and its interactions with essential elements zinc and magnesium as relevant mechanisms of cadmium toxicity. It draws on available literature data and our own results, which indicate that dietary supplementation of either essential element has beneficial effect under condition of cadmium exposure. We have also tackled the reasons why magnesium addition prevails over zinc and discussed the protective role of magnesium during cadmium exposure. These findings could help to solve the problem of prophylaxis and therapy of increased cadmium body burden. (authors)