Production of low-density aerogel nuclear fuels for use in fission fragment rockets and novel reactor design
D'Amico N, Puri S, Jones I, Gillespie A, Lin C, Zhao B, Duncan RV
Nuclear Engineering and Technology 58:104351 (2026)
Peer-Reviewed Research
Publications
Instruments earn trust through verified science. BSI's published work spans nuclear particle detection, advanced propulsion diagnostics, solid-state materials physics, and electrocatalysis.
2026
Boron nitride coatings for the enhanced detection of neutrons in CR-39
D'Amico N, Puri S, Jones I, Gillespie A, Lin C, Zhao B, Duncan RV
Nuclear Engineering and Technology 58:104027 (2026)
Enhanced tritium production in irradiated TiD2 from collisional fusion in the solid-state
Gillespie AK, Lin C, Jones I, Jeffries B, Philipps JC, Puri S, Gahl J, Brockman J, Duncan RV
Nuclear Engineering and Technology 58:104031 (2026)
2025
A Compact, Data-Logging Breath-Gas Analyzer
Lacouture S, Kelley M, Plues N, Hunyadi L, Sundman E, Sobel A, Duncan RV
arXiv 2512.02089 (2025)
A portable, inexpensive, mixed-signal data-logging system that measures exhaled breath parameters from humans or animals, offering integrated multimodal diagnostics for early detection of respiratory ailments.
Alpha particle detection in high magnetic fields with applications in designing fission fragment rocket engine
Puri S, Lin C, Gillespie A, Jones I, Carty C, Kelley M, Weed R, Duncan RV
Scientific Reports 15:22208 (2025)
Detection of alpha particles in high magnetic fields is critical for fission fragment rocket engine diagnostics. This work explores detector configurations and performance characteristics relevant to next-generation space propulsion.
AI-based large-area nuclear particle track analysis system
D'Amico N, Puri S, Jones I, Lin C, Gillespie AK, Zhao B, Duncan RV
Nuclear Engineering and Technology 57:103738 (2025)
Exploring helium retention from technical materials: Development and investigation
Gillespie AK, Lin C, Jones D, Puri S, Duncan RV
Nuclear Engineering and Technology 57:103136 (2025)
Direct nitrogen oxidation via Pd nanoparticle electrocatalysis
Adeosun S, Thorn RP Jr, Kelley MD, Farooq MU, Lin C, Gillespie AK, Dardik T, Duncan RV
ACS Applied Nano Materials 8(1):80–89 (2025)
2024
Editorial: Fast transit, crew health, and performance on extended duration space missions
Sobel AL
Frontiers in Public Health 11:1318619 (2024)
Editorial on the research topic of crew health and performance during extended space missions, addressing biomedical challenges of long-duration transit.
Photoneutron yield for an electron beam on tantalum and erbium deuteride
Gillespie AK, Lin C, Duncan RV
Nuclear Engineering and Technology 56(8):3084–3089 (2024)
Progress in fission fragment rocket engine development and alpha particle detection in high magnetic fields
Puri S, Lin C, Gillespie A, Jones I, Carty C, Kelley M, Weed R, Duncan RV
arXiv 2409.15206 (2024) — Preprint
Helium detection in technical materials
Gillespie AK, Lin C, Jones D, Duncan RV
arXiv 2405.02307 (2024) — Preprint
2020
Aerospace environmental health: Considerations and countermeasures to sustain crew health through vastly reduced transit time to/from Mars
Sobel A, Duncan R
Frontiers in Public Health 8:327 (2020)
As transit times to Mars decrease with advanced propulsion, aerospace environmental health considerations must be reassessed. This review examines countermeasures needed to sustain crew health under compressed mission timelines.
A solid-state, open-system, differential calorimeter
Lacouture S, Dardik T, Van der Vliet D, Akene J, Adeosun S, Duncan RV
Review of Scientific Instruments 91(9):095102 (2020)
A solid-state open-system differential calorimeter capable of high-precision thermal measurement. The instrument is suited for pulsed-power and metrology applications requiring rapid, accurate thermal characterization.
A new fast response cryogenic evaporative calorimeter
Gillespie AK, Lin C, Thorn RP Jr, Higgins H, Baca R, Durso AA, Jones D, Ogu R, Marquis J, Duncan RV
Review of Scientific Instruments 91(8):085103 (2020)
A fast-response cryogenic calorimeter for evaporation rate measurement at low temperatures. Designed for cryogenic fluid handling and thermal property characterization in compact instrument environments.
Publications include peer-reviewed journal articles and arXiv preprints with at least one BSI team member as author or co-author. Sources include PubMed, Nuclear Engineering and Technology, ACS Publications, Scientific Reports, Frontiers in Public Health, and arXiv. Additional conference papers and patents are not listed here.