Abstract
Pyrochlores have long been considered as host phases for long-term immobilization of radioactive waste nuclides that would undergo ..alpha..-decay for hundreds of thousands of years. This work utilizes ion-beam irradiations to examine the combined effects of radiation damage and He accumulation on bubble formation in Gd2Ti2O7 over relevant waste-form timescales. Helium bubbles are not observed in pre-damaged Gd2Ti2O7 implanted with 2 x 1016 He/cm2, even after post-implantation irradiations with 7 MeV Au3+ at 300, 500, and 700 K. However, He bubbles with average diameters of 1.5 nm and 2.1 nm are observed in pre-damaged (amorphous) Gd2Ti2O7 and pristine Gd2Ti2O7, respectively, after implantation of 2 x 1017 He/cm2. The critical He concentration for bubble nucleation in Gd2Ti2O7 is estimated to be 6 at.% He.
Original language | American English |
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Pages (from-to) | 542-547 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of Nuclear Materials |
Volume | 479 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2016 |
NREL Publication Number
- NREL/JA-5K00-66933
Keywords
- helium bubble
- nuclear waste
- pyrochlore
- radiation damage