Investigation of impurity capture mechanisms in innovative adsorbents for liquid argon purification in neutrino experiments

• Grant number: 25/20106-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2025
• End date: November 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Pascoal Jose Giglio Pagliuso
• Grantee: Gabriel Víctor de Oliveira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin (IFGW). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 24/07128-7 - Advanced Instrumentation for large facilities in High Energy Physics: LAr purification and Photodetection for LBNF-DUNE, AP.ESP

Abstract

This undergraduate research project aims to study and develop innovative adsorbent media for the purification of liquid argon (LAr), used in neutrino physics experiments like DUNE (Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment), at the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF) of Fermilab (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, USA). Neutrino detection requires high LAr purity, with levels of impurities, such as O¿ and N¿ below 100 ppt and 1 ppm, respectively. For this purpose, this research project proposes the synthesis and characterization of double layered hydroxides (LDHs) of type CuMgAl and its Ce³¿ doped variants (R-LDH), as well as zeolites based on Ca-LTA and Li-FAU, which have shown promising results in the capture of contaminants when compared to its commercial counterparts like BASF CU-0226 S used in Fermilab. The samples will be prepared via constant-pH coprecipitation method and activated by controlled calcination. The characterization process will be carried out using several techniques, including X-ray diffractometry (XRD), adsorption/desorption isotherms, Temperature Programmed Reduction (TPR), magnetometry, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), in addition to measurements conducted in the PuLArC cryostat located at IFGW - Unicamp. We hope to understand the physical and chemical mechanisms that govern adsorption of impurities in LAr and to contribute with the development of more efficient adsorbent media, with the potential of large-scale application in the experiments of the LBNF-DUNE project. (AU)