Range Of Ions Research Articles

Recent Advances in Fabrication and Applications of Yttrium Aluminum Garnet-Based Optical Fiber: A Review.

Yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG)-based optical fiber is one of the research hotspots in the field of fiber lasers due to its combined advantages of a wide doping range of rare earth ions and the high mechanical strength of YAG material, as well as the flexibility and small size of the fiber structure. YAG-based optical fibers and related laser devices can be used in communication, sensing, medicine, etc. A comprehensive review of YAG-based optical fibers is provided in this paper. Firstly, the fabrication processes of YAG-based optical fibers are summarized and the structure and properties of fibers are classified and compared. Secondly, according to the optical wavelength regions, rare earth-doped YAG-based optical fibers for the applications of single-frequency and mode-locked fiber lasers are summarized. Lastly, the development challenges in both the fabrication and applications of YAG-based optical fibers are discussed.

Interface Modulation of 2D Superlattice Heterostructures with Oxygen-enriched Sites and Dissolution Restraint for Effective Rare-earth Elements Extraction

Effective recovery of rare earth elements from wastewater is crucial for the modern industry, as well as for protecting the human health and ecosystem. Nevertheless, it is still challenging to realize efficient and selective low-concentration rare earth extraction in systems containing high levels competing metal ions. Here, we report on the fabrication of two-dimensional superlattice heterostructures (VOGO-x) through the alternating restacking of VOPO4 nanosheets and GO-PDDA nanosheets via electrostatic self-assembly. The meticulously organized molecular scale of superlattice heterostructures enable the full exposure of accessible adsorption sites and facilitate the transport of rare earth ions, meanwhile the abundant oxygen-containing phosphate groups within the interlayer can realize selective rare earth ions extraction. Furthermore, the tunable interlayer interaction can promote structure stability to prevent dissolution. Consequently, VOGO-11 possesses excellent rare earth adsorption performance, with a saturated adsorption capacity (Nd(III) 631.52 mg/g, Dy(III) 689.48 mg/g, Lu(III) 716.06 mg/g), high utilization rate of adsorption sites and short adsorption equilibrium time of simply 10 min in the REE aqueous solution. Furthermore, VOGO-11 exhibits outstanding selective rare earth adsorption ability over a wide range of metal ions in the low-concentration simulated wastewater and actual leaching tailings. These results demonstrate the material’s promising potential in capturing rare earth ions and pave the way to the development of two-dimensional superlattice heterostructures through interface modulation for effective rare earth extraction.

NEBOAS: A Neutron yiElds Based On AcceleratorS application

The web-based application NEBOAS was developed to calculate the neutron yield of the accelerator-based neutron source MONNET (MONo-energetic NEutron Tower) at JRC-Geel. Neutrons are produced with p and d-induced reactions on particular targets. NEBOAS provides double differential neutron yields, as a function of the angle of neutron emission and energy. It provides also integrated neutron yields, and neutron energy spectra. Any projectile energy may be utilized, as long as it is covered by the nuclear data available on thin targets (that just degrade the projectiles' energy) or thick targets (that stop the projectiles). The calculation employs reaction cross-section evaluations from Evaluated Nuclear Data File (ENDF) or compilations of experimental measurements from the Experimental Nuclear Reaction Data (EXFOR), and stopping powers as recommended in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) or the Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter (SRIM-2013) databases.

Stepwise developmental mimicry generates proximal-biased kidney organoids.

The kidney maintains body fluid homeostasis by reabsorbing essential compounds and excreting waste. Proximal tubule cells, crucial for renal reabsorption of a range of sugars, ions, and amino acids, are highly susceptible to damage, leading to pathologies necessitating dialysis and kidney transplants. While human pluripotent stem cell-derived kidney organoids are used for modeling renal development, disease, and injury, the formation of proximal nephron cells in these 3D structures is incomplete. Here, we describe how to drive the development of proximal tubule precursors in kidney organoids by following a blueprint of in vivo human nephrogenesis. Transient manipulation of the PI3K signaling pathway activates Notch signaling in the early nephron and drives nephrons toward a proximal precursor state. These "proximal-biased" (PB) organoid nephrons proceed to generate proximal nephron precursor cells. Single-cell transcriptional analyses across the organoid nephron differentiation, comparing control and PB types, confirm the requirement of transient Notch signaling for proximal development. Indicative of functional maturity, PB organoids demonstrate dextran and albumin uptake, akin to in vivo proximal tubules. Moreover, PB organoids are highly sensitive to nephrotoxic agents, display an injury response, and drive expression of HAVCR1 / KIM1 , an early proximal-specific marker of kidney injury. Injured PB organoids show evidence of collapsed tubules, DNA damage, and upregulate the injury-response marker SOX9 . The PB organoid model therefore has functional relevance and potential for modeling mechanisms underpinning nephron injury. These advances improve the use of iPSC-derived kidney organoids as tools to understand developmental nephrology, model disease, test novel therapeutics, and for understanding human renal physiology.

Behavior of silver tellurite glasses against gamma rays, neutrons, and ions using theoretical and the PHITS Monte Carlo method

Present work analyze the ionizing radiations attenuation behaviour, photon trajectories and dose rate reduction properties of silver tellurite glasses to investigate their potential application in radiation shielding. The shielding capability of five glass systems with different elemental compositions have been calculated with the help of theoretical software: Phy-X/PSD and NIST XCOM. For the photon energy range of 1.00 keV to 100.00 GeV, various shielding parameters are calculated, including attenuation coefficients (MAC, LAC), mean free path, half value layer, tenth value layer, effective atomic number, effective electron density, energy build up factors, energy absorption buildup factors, and fast neutron removal cross section. While the energy stopping potentials, projected range of ions (H+, He+, and C+) has been presented with the help of SRIM software. Additionally photon trajectories and dose rate attenuating behavior of 105 photons generated from 137Cs and 60Co sources with activity 200.00 GBq has been studied with the help of particle and heavy ion transport (PHITS) code. It is observed that at both low and high energy levels, the glass composition, labelled S4, (70TeO2-25Ag2O-2Nb2O5-2BaO-1PbO), exhibits comparable attenuation coefficients to previously recommended glass samples for radiation shielding applications. In addition to S4, nine different types of glass samples and polymers with comparable densities to our glass sample, along with water, were included for comparison. The findings indicate that among all the samples tested, S4 demonstrates the highest and comparable radiation-protective performance, positioning it favourably for such applications.

In-grown and irradiation-induced Al and N vacancies in 100 keV H+ implanted AlN single crystals

We report positron annihilation results on in-grown and proton-irradiation-induced vacancy defects in AlN single crystals grown by physical vapor transport. The samples were irradiated with 100 keV H+ ions to varying fluences in the range of 5 × 1014 − 2 × 1018 ions cm–2. Doppler broadening of annihilation radiation was recorded in as-grown and irradiated samples with a slow positron beam with varying implantation energy. Doppler results combined with first principles theoretical calculations show that the 100 keV H+ irradiation introduces isolated VAl on the ion track and VN-rich vacancy clusters at the end of the ion range. The results suggest that the excess amount of detected VN originates from a high concentration of in-grown VN. So far, these defects have been considered to be unidentified negative ion-like defects in AlN.

Molecular dynamics study of temperature and defects on mechanical properties of Gr(GO)/C-S-H composites

In this paper, the effects of temperature and different defect types on the interfacial properties, kinetic properties and mechanical properties of Gr(GO)/C-S-H composites were investigated by molecular dynamics. It is shown that the incorporation of graphene (Gr) and graphene oxide (GO) improves the mechanical properties of the calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) model to varying degrees. The presence of defects at different temperatures affects the ordering of oxygen (Ow) in water in the proximal range of interlayer Ca ions and can effectively influence the spatial correlation between interlayer Ca ions and oxygen (Oc) in functional groups. The bond lengths of some Caw-Oc at different temperatures can be modulated by defects, thus affecting the interaction between calcium ions and graphene oxide. Compared with Gr/GO and C-S-H composites in perfect state, the incorporation of defects slows down the rate of C atoms, which can effectively enhance the interfacial connection. At temperatures of 100K-300 K, the effect of defect type on Gr/GO and C-S-H composites is small and the mobility of H atoms did not change significantly. Whereas, at high temperatures 400 K and 500 K, the presence of defects gives higher mobility of H atoms, which affects the properties of the composites. The tensile strength (compressive strength) and Young's modulus of Gr(GO)/C-S-H composites at perfect and different defect types basically show a decreasing trend with increasing temperature. The system structure changes during the relaxation process because of the different defect types and Gr (GO), which make the initial structure different, and thus the mechanical properties change.

Novel Spectrometer Designs for Laser-Driven Ion Acceleration

We propose novel spectrometer designs that aim to enhance the measured spectral range of ions on a finite-sized detector. In contrast to the traditional devices that use a uniform magnetic field, in which the deflection of particles increases inversely proportional to their momentum, in a gradient magnetic field, the deflection of particles will decrease due to the reduction of the magnetic field along their propagation. In this way, low-energy ions can reach the detector because they are deflected less, compared to the uniform field case. By utilizing a gradient magnetic field, the non-linear dispersion of ions in a homogeneous magnetic field approaches nearly linear dispersion behavior. Nonetheless, the dispersion of low-energy ions, using a dipole field, remains unnecessarily high. In this article, we discuss the employed methodology and present simulation results of the spectrometer with an extended ion spectral range, focusing on the minimum detectable energy (energy dynamic range) and energy resolution.

Developing of a Monte Carlo calculations-based on simulation code for binary collision approximation in amorphous materials

In this work, we present a computer code developed and named MCIS (Monte Carlo Collisions In Solids) in his first version allowing the study and determination of the structure properties (arrangement, vacancies, energy losses...) during ion implantation in an amorphous solid matrix. This code is based on both the binary collisions approximation (BCA) theory and statistical Monte Carlo method within C++ Builder environment. The properties of this code can be summarized as: simulate 92 chemical elements of periodic table, the energy of projectile tuned from 1eV to few MeV, variable angle of incidence projectile, it can simulated 4 layers with a maximum of 4 elements per layer, it can use of the electronic losses of energies by choose of Firsov or Robinson approximation, various interactions potentials such as the ZBL, Moliers and C-Kr. Possibility of choose of scattering phenomenon among the Magic Formula and the Rutherford scattering. The results generated by our code are very promising when compared to those given by SRIM (Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter) code along with the advantage that our code takes into account the effect of the interaction potential which is neglected in SRIM.

The potential of mixed carbon–helium beams for online treatment verification: a simulation and treatment planning study

Objective. Recently, a new and promising approach for range verification was proposed. This method requires the use of two different ion species. Due to their equal magnetic rigidity, fully ionized carbon and helium ions can be simultaneously accelerated in accelerators like synchrotrons. At sufficiently high treatment energies, helium ions can exit the patient distally, reaching approximately three times the range of carbon ions at an equal energy per nucleon. Therefore, the proposal involves adding a small helium fluence to the carbon ion beam and utilizing helium as an online range probe during radiation therapy. This work aims to develop a software framework for treatment planning and motion verification in range-guided radiation therapy using mixed carbon–helium beams. Approach. The developed framework is based on the open-source treatment planning toolkit matRad. Dose distributions and helium radiographs were simulated using the open-source Monte Carlo package TOPAS. Beam delivery system parameters were obtained from the Heidelberg Ion Therapy Center, and imaging detectors along with reconstruction were facilitated by ProtonVDA. Methods for reconstructing the most likely patient positioning error scenarios and the motion phase of 4DCT are presented for prostate and lung cancer sites. Main results. The developed framework provides the capability to calculate and optimize treatment plans for mixed carbon–helium ion therapy. It can simulate the treatment process and generate helium radiographs for simulated patient geometry, including small beam views. Furthermore, motion reconstruction based on these radiographs seems possible with preliminary validation. Significance. The developed framework can be applied for further experimental work with the promising mixed carbon–helium ion implementation of range-guided radiotherapy. It offers opportunities for adaptation in particle therapy, improving dose accumulation, and enabling patient anatomy reconstruction during radiotherapy.

Thermoluminescence response of carbon ion beam irradiated LiCaAlF6: Tb phosphor

Accurate measurement of the dose delivered to patients is crucial in any radiation therapy, including C ion beam radiotherapy, to ensure effective treatment and minimize the risk of damage to healthy tissues. The accessibility of thermoluminescence (TL) - based materials for carbon ion beam dosimetry continues to be constrained. With the aim of this, an investigation has been done to study the TL properties of the Terbium (Tb) doped LiCaAlF6 phosphor following irradiation with C ion beam. The LiCaAlF6: Tb phosphor has been synthesized using melting method in argon gas atmosphere. TL glow curves has been analyzed on exposure to carbon ion beams at energies of 85 MeV and 50 MeV within the fluence range of 109 - 1012 ions/cm2. The TRIM code, relying on Monte Carlo simulation, has been employed to compute parameters such as absorbed dose, ion range, and energy loss. The Tb-doped LiCaAlF6 phosphor exhibits a glow curve structure with distinctly resolved peaks at 130 °C and 325 °C. Notably, the TL intensity has been significantly increased by 105 times than that of undoped LiCaAlF6. This enhancement is attributed to the generation of a high density of Tb-associated defects within the energy band gap. The TL enhancement has been elucidated based on charge compensation mechanism. Further, TL glow curve shape and structure remain consistent across different energies, i.e., 85 and 50 MeV C ion beams, indicating an energy-independent behavior of this phosphor. Nevertheless, the TL intensity at 85 MeV is higher compared to that at 50 MeV. Detailed dosimetry properties have been investigated for 85 MeV C ion beams within the fluence range 2x109-5x1012 ions/cm2. The phosphor exhibits a sublinear dependence against dose for the studied fluence range with no discernible shift in peak position. The favorable outcomes include low fading during the initial days of storage time and batch homogeneity. TL glow curve analysis indicate the formation of trapping level in the range of 0.90–1.72eV within the band gap of the phosphor which are responsible for TL process. The phosphor's simple glow curve structure, minimal fading, consistent batch homogeneity and high stability of the glow curve suggest that the material can be explored for C ion beam dosimetry application.

The Annealing Kinetics of Defects in CVD Diamond Irradiated by Xe Ions

The radiation-induced optical absorption at 1.5–5.5 eV (up to the beginning of fundamental absorption) has been analyzed in CVD diamond disks exposed to 231-MeV 132Xe ions with four fluences from 1012 to 3.8 × 1013 cm−2. The 5 mm diameter samples (thickness 0.4 mm) were prepared by Diamond Materials, Freiburg (Germany); the average grain size at growth site was around 80 μm; and the range of xenon ions was R = 11.5 μm. The intensity of several bands grows with ion fluence, thus confirming the radiation-induced origin of the defects responsible for these bands. The recovery of radiation damage has been investigated via isochronal (stepwise) thermal annealing procedure up to 650 °C, while all spectra were measured at room temperature. Based on these spectra, the annealing kinetics of several defects, in particular carbon vacancies (GR1 centers with a broad band ~2 eV) and complementary C-interstitial-related defects (~4 eV), as well as impurity-related complex defects (narrow bands around 2.5 eV) have been constructed. The experimental kinetics have also been analyzed in terms of the diffusion-controlled bimolecular reactions. The migration energies of tentatively interstitial atoms (mobile components in recombination process) are obtained, and their dependence on the irradiation fluences is discussed.

A colorimetric/down-conversion fluorescence dual-readout probe for the recognition of Cu2+ and its application in environmental water by single PEI@NaYF4: Eu3+ nanoparticles

The pollution caused by heavy metals like Cu2+ remains a pressing issue, as the release of Cu2+-laden sewage can lead to detrimental effects on both soil ecosystems and human well-being. Herein, a novel colorimetric and down-conversion fluorescence probe, i.e. PEI@NaYF4: Eu3+ NPs, for selective and sensitive detection of Cu2+ with colorimetric and down-conversion fluorescence dual signal changes was reported. Such dual-signal detection mode offers enhanced sensitivity, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness in detecting Cu2+. The probe with spherical shape and excellent monodispersity was synthesized by a high temperature reflux method. The PEI moiety of the NPs is chosen due to the ability to chelate Cu2+ forming copper amine complexes. Such a unique feature is invoked to develop a versatile detection platform for the colorimetric detection of Cu2+ ions. In the presence of Cu2+, the visual color of probe in solution changes from colorless to blue with a low detection limit of 100 nM without any assistance of equipment. The probe emits down-conversion fluorescence with two main typical emission peaks centered at 592 and 614 nm under an excitation of 394 nm. The copper amine complexes formed by the combination of Cu2+ and the PEI moiety of the NPs quench down-conversion fluorescence by an internal filtration effect. Probe shows a specific on–off response to Cu2+ in aqueous solution with nanomolar LOD, fast response, and good selectivity, and without interference by a range of metal ions. A practical application shows that PEI@NaYF4: Eu3+ NPs have good recovery ranges of 96–105 % for Cu2+ detection in real environment water samples from different locations. This strategy proves that a colorimetric and down-conversion fluorescence probe is a potential tool for addressing heavy metal ions-induced water pollution.

The Use of the Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter Code for Calculation of Damage in Three Different Types of Steel

In recent years, nuclear power plants have been built worldwide. This amount large of power is better than other energy sources for the environment, it does not have a greenhouse gas. A pressurized water reactor (PWR) is a type of light water reactor to generate electricity and it needed enriched Uranium and large cost. The purpose of this work was to investigate three different types of steel for PWR reactor vessels such as SA30400, SA302B and SA355B-1 steel. The result shows that SA355B-1 performs better than the other. On the other hand, phonons, ionization and collision events show very little damage to all materials.

Monte Carlo Simulations of the Interaction of 55Mn with 14.7-MeV Protons Produced by D+3He Fusion Reaction

The global energy crisis and climate change pose significant challenges for the future of humankind. To address these issues, clean energy sources are being promoted, with nuclear energy being an effective solution. The development of fission reactors and the promising advancements in fusion reactor technology provide potential solutions. However, challenges related to security and costs remain. This study focuses on the interaction between 55Mn and protons at 14.7 MeV using Monte Carlo simulations. Various Monte Carlo codes, including TALYS-1.96, GEANT4 (for GEometry ANd Tracking), PHITS-3.31 (for Particle and Heavy Ion Transport Code System), SRIM-2013 (for Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter), and ATIMA v1 41 (for ATomic Interaction with MAtter), were employed to investigate different interaction mechanisms. The research aims to understand the impact of these interactions on reactor performance, particularly in the context of the fusion facility. Manganese-containing steels play a crucial role in enhancing efficiency, durability, and safety in fusion reactors. The findings contribute to ongoing research and development activities in the field of nuclear energy.

Reductive carbon dots for reduction, ratiometric fluorescence determination, and intracellular imaging of Au3+

Many studies show that ortho-phenylenediamine (OPD) produces an oxidized fluorescent product when exposed to an oxidizing agent that enables the direct or indirect fluorescence detection of a range chemical and biochemical analytes. However, there is no report on this unique optical behavior for other two isomers of phenylenediamine. This study demonstrates that a simple hydrothermal treatment of para-phenylenediamine (PPD) in the presence of sulfuric acid results in the formation of fluorescent N, S-doped carbon dots (CDs) with triple functionalities including the reduction of Au3+ into gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), the stabilization of the produced AuNPs, and the determination of Au3+ concentration through an intrinsic ratiometric fluorescence signal. In the presence of Au3+, the blue emission of CDs at 437 nm quenched, and a green emission at 540 nm emerged. The linear concentration range for the determination of Au3+ was 20 nM–16 µM with a detection limit of 16 nM. Additionally, the dual emissive CDs-AuNPs hybrid probe showed potential for the indirect fluorescence ratiometric determination of cysteine and sulfide ions. The linear concentration range for cysteine and sulfide ions were 0.25–8 μM and 0.1–6 μΜ, with detection limits of 0.095 μM and 0.041 μM, respectively. Accordingly, CDs were applied to detect Au3+ and S2− in real water samples. Moreover, the synthesized CDs showed no cytotoxicity for HeLa cells up to 300 µg mL−1, as determined by the MTT assay. Therefore, their potential for intracellular imaging of Au3+ in living cells was also investigated.

Degradation of Sulfamethoxazole in Secondary Wastewater Based on Persulfate Activated by Citric-Acid-Complexed Ferrous Ion under Sunlight

The narrow pH application range and lower utilization of ferrous ions (Fe(II)) restrict the application of Fe(II)/persulfate (PS) technology. In this paper, simulated sunlight and citric acid (Cit) as a chelator were introduced in an Fe(II)/PS system to overcome the drawbacks and enhance the degradation of typical antibiotic sulfamethoxazole (SMX) in secondary wastewater. The degradation kinetics, mechanism, and influence factors of SMX in a sunlight/Fe(II)/Cit/PS system and a sunlight/Fe(II)/Cit system as a comparable system were investigated. The removal efficiency of SMX can reach 71.15% and 85.25% in the sunlight/Fe(II)/Cit system and sunlight/Fe(II)/Cit/PS system with 0.1 mM Fe(II), 0.6 mM Cit, and 1 mM PS. The increase of Fe(II) concentration in both systems proved that sunlight promoted the regeneration of Fe(II) from the ferric ion chelates. However, the Fe(II) concentration decreased after 30 min in the sunlight/Fe(II)/Cit/PS system because of the decomposition of Cit. Radical quencher experiments indicated that SO4·−, ·OH, and O2·− contributed 2.48%, 88.43%, and 6.91% to the removal of SMX, respectively. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectra also proved the formation of ·OH and O2·−. The degradation of SMX was proposed to proceed via isomerization, cleavage of S–N bond, and hydroxylation. Overall, the sunlight/Fe(II)/Cit/PS process can be used as an advanced treatment technology for antibiotics in municipal wastewater.

Design of microfluidic fluorescent sensor arrays for real-time and synchronously visualized detection of multi-component heavy metal ions

The majority of the environmental heavy metal ions exist in the form of multi-components, and the current single-to-single rapid detection methods are unable to meet the needs of simultaneous multi-component detection. Here, we have designed a microfluidic fluorescence sensor array by combining microfluidic sensing and organic fluorescent switches for the real-time and simultaneous visual detection of multi-component heavy metal ions. A series of “light-up” organic molecular probes was designed and synthesized, exhibiting a strong ability to bind heavy metal ions and resulting in the opening of probe fluorescence. Meanwhile, we design microfluidic sensor plate, the patterned path of the microfluidic plate has drainage channel wall and 2.70° downward slope, which can enable the samples to quickly reach the detection area. By loading organic molecular probes into the detection area, the microfluidic sensor array achieves simultaneous detection of four heavy metal ions. Combined with intelligent terminal, read and analyze the RGB color mode (RGB) results of detection, obtain quantitative information. The microfluidic fluorescence sensor array developed here can meet the requirements for in situ and semi-quantitative detection of a range of heavy metal ions with a low detection limit, fast reaction speed, and without the need for pretreatment. It represents a novel engineering technology approach for real-time detection of multi-components in the environment.

Mössbauer study of iron oxide nanoparticles

AbstractMagnetic nanoparticles have recently attracted attention for biochemical and medical applications like drug delivery and hyperthermia for a variety of reasons with most important being their stability, chemical compatibility, and suitable magnetic properties like moderate specific mass magnetization. Cobalt ferrites are a well‐studied family of materials and the partial substitution of Fe3+ cations by rare earth (RE) ones may be used to tune the magnetic properties. In the present work pure and substituted Co ferrite nanoparticles with nominal stoichiometry CoFe2−xRxO4 (R = Yb, Gd; x = 0.05, 0.1, 0.3) synthesized by the co‐precipitation method are studied with 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy to determine the incorporation of RE ions in the spinel lattice. The fitting procedure was based on the standard spinel model using two sextets for the octahedral and the tetrahedral coordinated positions of Fe atoms. All isomer shift values were found within the typical range of high spin ferric ions while quadrupole splitting values strongly suggest that there is a substitution preference; RE ions replace iron ones in octahedral sites. The inversion parameter was found to decrease with RE content (lowest value about 0.534 for CoFe1.90Yb0.10O4) and thermal treatment always results in changing the material toward normal spinel, while pure CoFe2O4 was inverse. Thermal treatment of substituted materials in ambient air at temperature range 1500–1700 K for 12 h increase crystallite size and changes the degree of inversion.

Intermediate ions as indicator for local new particle formation

Abstract. Atmospheric aerosol particles have a considerable influence on climate via both aerosol–radiation and aerosol–cloud interactions. A major fraction of global aerosol particles, in terms of their number concentration, is due to atmospheric new particle formation (NPF) that involves both neutral and charged clusters and particles. NPF is the major source of atmospheric intermediate ions, i.e., charged particles with mobility diameters between approx. 2 and 7 nm. We investigate ion concentrations between 1.7 and 3.1 nm at the SMEAR II (Station for Measuring Forest Ecosystem–Atmosphere Relations II) measurement station in Hyytiälä, Finland. Both negative and positive ion number size distributions measured by a Neutral cluster and Air Ion Spectrometer (NAIS) are used. Our aim is to find the best diameter size range of ions for identifying and evaluating the intensity of local intermediate ion formation (LIIF). Intermediate ion formation (IIF) refers to the formation of intermediate ions through NPF, while local means that the growth of such ions from smaller clusters has occurred in close proximity (e.g., within 500 m to 1 km) to the measurement site, i.e., locally. We find that the ions in the mobility diameter size range of 2.0–2.3 nm are the best suited for detection of LIIF. The ion concentrations in this size range indicate the elevated rates of IIF, and the potential distances the growing ions have traveled are smaller than those for larger ions. In addition, in Hyytiälä, the negative ion concentrations are more sensitive to IIF than the positive ion concentrations due to the higher difference in concentrations between periods of IIF and the background. Therefore, we recommend the concentrations of ions with diameters 2.0–2.3 nm as the best choice for identifying and evaluating the intensity of LIIF.