Radiation stability of Nd-doped perovskite ceramics for trivalent actinide waste (An+3) storage

• Published in: Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section B, Beam interactions with materials and atoms Beam interactions with materials and atoms, 2024-05, Vol.550, p.165306, Article 165306
• Main Authors: Bensemma, Nouar, Smith, Andrew, Anamul Haq, Mir, Sari, Ali, Moudir, Dalila, Tyagi, Chetna, Boukhemkhem, Wafa, Salhi, Mhammed, Haid, Fadhela, Bourennane, Aissa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Actinide; Amorphization; Immobilization; Irradiation; Perovskite
• ISSN: 0168-583X; 1872-9584
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nimb.2024.165306

Perovskite ceramics are candidate host matrices for the storage of nuclear wastes. In this work, Nd2O3 is incorporated into calcium titanate CaTiO3 in the form of Ca(1-x)Nd2x/3TiO3 (x = 0, 0.225, 0.525 and 0.85). To simulate the self-irradiation of trivalent actinide waste (An+3), the samples were irradiated by 7 MeV Au+3 ions. The effects of ion irradiation on the structural and mechanical properties were followed using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), Raman spectroscopy and nanoindentation. The results showed that the radiation stability of the studied ceramics was dependent on the Nd content. Radiation resistance was enhanced by the growing Nd content up to x  = 0.525, in which a small amorphous fraction at the highest irradiation dose was obtained (0.6 %). Significant deterioration of the phase stability under ion irradiation is observed at the high Nd loading content (x = 0.85) which was reflected by its high amorphous fraction (0.8 %).