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Investigation of Natural and Artificial Zr-silicate Gels

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2011

Boris E. Burakov ,
Andrey Ph. Smetannikov ,
Evgeniy B. Anderson  and
Alexander Yu. Alexeev
Boris E. Burakov
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Applied Mineralogy and Radiogeochemistry, V.G. Khlopin Radium Institute, 28, 2-nd Murinskiy ave., St. Petersburg, 194021, Russia
Andrey Ph. Smetannikov
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Applied Mineralogy and Radiogeochemistry, V.G. Khlopin Radium Institute, 28, 2-nd Murinskiy ave., St. Petersburg, 194021, Russia
Evgeniy B. Anderson
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Applied Mineralogy and Radiogeochemistry, V.G. Khlopin Radium Institute, 28, 2-nd Murinskiy ave., St. Petersburg, 194021, Russia
Alexander Yu. Alexeev
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Applied Mineralogy and Radiogeochemistry, V.G. Khlopin Radium Institute, 28, 2-nd Murinskiy ave., St. Petersburg, 194021, Russia
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Abstract

Sample of natural Zr-silicate gel containing up to 13 wt.% U was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and electron microprobe analysis (EPMA) method. It was found that gel matrix is amorphous in general; however, it contains non-identified nanocrystallites. No separated oxide phases of U, Zr or Si were observed in a gel matrix. After sintering in air at 1400°C for 1 hour gel transformed largely into crystalline zircon, (Zr,U)SiO4. Uranium was not found in any other phases besides zircon. It was assumed that high chemical durability of natural Zr-P-U-Ti-silicate gel is caused by two competing processes which exist under self-irradiation conditions: 1) crystallization of the gel and 2) metamictization of the crystallized zircon and other phases.

Synthetic samples of Zr-silicate gel doped with Ce, U, Pu and Am were obtained and studied in comparison with natural samples. It was suggested to use artificial solid Zr-silicate gels for durable fixation of actinides for the goal of long-term or intermediate storage.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 932: Symposium – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXIX , 2006 , 7.1
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2006

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References

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