New material that cleans radioactive effects of cancer

Korean researchers have successfully developed a new material that can absorb radioactive cesium dissolved in soil or polluted water with 40 times more efficiency than current cesium cleaners.

Professor Yoon Kyung-byung, Sogang University and Associate Professor Hwang In-chul, Sogang University's Nano Materials Center, recently announced that they have grown into The SGU-45 vanadium (including 4+ and 5+ oxidized vanadium ions) can absorb 40 times more radioactive cesium radiation than current radioactive material.

The research team revealed that the new material absorbs cesium dissolved in groundwater, contaminated seawater as well as nuclear waste by ion exchange with potassium ions in SGU-45. The lower the cesium concentration, the higher the absorption capacity of the SGU-45. Notably, SCU-45 also has a cesium uptake rate that is twice as fast as its predecessor.

Meanwhile, current cesium-absorbing materials have limitations such as poor absorption when cesium levels drop below a millionths.

It is known that radioactive cesium is one of the most dangerous radioactive elements. It can easily be absorbed in soil and agricultural crops as it can easily dissolve in water. Only small amounts of cesium can cause cancer in humans.

Prior to SCU-45, an important inorganic substrate for cesium removal was known as titanosilicates . It is also being used to destroy radioactive pollution caused by the Fukushima disaster.

With the advent of the SCU-45, the new breakthroughs in destroying radioactive substance cesium 137 (Cs 137), promising great benefits to public health.

The results of the study are published in the Internet edition of Angewandte Chemie.