Ongoing theses

Student name : El Batoul ZERIFI

Title : Study of adsorption properties of radon, xenon, and their mixtures in microporous materials : integrating various molecular simulation techniques in close collaboration with experimental approaches

Thesis director : Jean-Louis PAILLAUD       
Co-director : Irena DEROCHE  
Co-supervisor : Taylan ORS

Summary : Research on dark matter and neutrinoless double beta decay is a priority in nuclear physics. The experimental detection of their signatures requires ultra-sensitive detectors, necessitating rigorous management of background noise that could compromise measurements. These detectors are based on targets composed of liquefied monoatomic gases, primarily xenon. However, radon, a trace radioactive gas in the target, constitutes a significant source of background noise. Therefore, it is imperative to purify the xenon-based target from any trace of radon. The limited reactivity and closely matched atomic dimensions of these two monoatomic gases complicate this task, making the purification of radon from the xenon target a significant challenge. In the field of gas separation, certain microporous materials, such as zeolites, have demonstrated strong potential. Therefore, the objective of the thesis, part of the ANR IRENE project, is to optimize the parameters of zeolites to selectively adsorb radon in a mixture with xenon. A relevant combination of different molecular simulation tools will be deployed for this purpose.