Europium
Europium is a chemical element with the symbol Eu and atomic number 63. Europium is the most reactive lanthanide by far, having to be stored under an inert fluid to protect it from atmospheric oxygen
Gadolinium
Gadolinium is a chemical element with the symbol Gd and atomic number 64. Gadolinium is a silvery-white metal when oxidation is removed. It is only slightly malleable and is a ductile rare-earth eleme
Dysprosium titanate
Dysprosium titanate (Dy2Ti2O7) is an inorganic compound, a ceramic of the titanate family, with pyrochlore structure. Dysprosium titanate, like holmium titanate and , is a spin ice material. In 2009,
Hafnium
Hafnium is a chemical element with the symbol Hf and atomic number 72. A lustrous, silvery gray, tetravalent transition metal, hafnium chemically resembles zirconium and is found in many zirconium min
Iodine pit
The iodine pit, also called the iodine hole or xenon pit, is a temporary disabling of a nuclear reactor due to buildup of short-lived nuclear poisons in the reactor core. The main isotope responsible
Xenon-135
Xenon-135 (135Xe) is an unstable isotope of xenon with a half-life of about 9.2 hours. 135Xe is a fission product of uranium and it is the most powerful known neutron-absorbing nuclear poison (2 milli
Boron
Boron is a chemical element with the symbol B and atomic number 5. In its crystalline form it is a brittle, dark, lustrous metalloid; in its amorphous form it is a brown powder. As the lightest elemen
Boron carbide
Boron carbide (chemical formula approximately B4C) is an extremely hard boron–carbon ceramic, a covalent material used in tank armor, bulletproof vests, engine sabotage powders,as well as numerous ind
Hafnium diboride
Hafnium diboride belongs to the class of ultra-high-temperature ceramics, a type of ceramic composed of hafnium and boron. It has a melting temperature of about 3250 °C. It is an unusual ceramic, havi
Borate
A borate is any of several boron oxyanions, negative ions consisting of boron and oxygen, such as orthoborate [BO3]3−, metaborate [BO2]−, or tetraborate [B4O7]2−; or any salt with such anions, such as
Borax
Borax is a salt (ionic compound), a hydrated borate of sodium, with chemical formula Na2H20B4O17 often written Na2B4O7·10H2O. It is a colorless crystalline solid, that dissolves in water to make a bas
Holmium
Holmium is a chemical element with the symbol Ho and atomic number 67. It is a rare-earth element and the eleventh member of the lanthanide series. It is a relatively soft, silvery, fairly corrosion-r
Gadolinium(III) nitrate
Gadolinium(III) nitrate is an inorganic compound of gadolinium. This salt is used as a water-soluble neutron poison in nuclear reactors. Gadolinium nitrate, like all nitrate salts, is an oxidizing age
Boron nitride
Boron nitride is a thermally and chemically resistant refractory compound of boron and nitrogen with the chemical formula BN. It exists in various crystalline forms that are isoelectronic to a similar
Boric acid
Boric acid, more specifically orthoboric acid, is a compound of boron, oxygen, and hydrogen with formula B(OH)3. It may also be called hydrogen borate or boracic acid. It is usually encountered as col
Neutron poison
In applications such as nuclear reactors, a neutron poison (also called a neutron absorber or a nuclear poison) is a substance with a large neutron absorption cross-section. In such applications, abso