Phase and structure in the system Gd^sub 2-x^Eu^sub x^Zr^sub 2^O^sub 7^ (0.0 x 2.0)

• Published in: Journal of Wuhan University of Technology. Materials science edition 2014-02, Vol.29 (1), p.1
• Main Authors: Lu, Xirui, Dong, Faqin, Song, Gongbao, Liu, Ning, Wang, Xiaoli, Wu, Yanlin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1000-2413; 1993-0437
• DOI: 10.1007/s11595-014-0856-0

Pyrochlore Gd^sub 2^Zr^sub 2^O^sub 7^ are considered as an excellent candidate for treatment of radioactive waste forms, because of its superior physical, chemical and anti-irradiation properties. To investigate the phase and structure of pyrochlore Gd^sub 2^Zr^sub 2^O^sub 7^ used for immobilizing Pu (III), trivalent europium was used as the simulacrum for plutonium with trivalence. The compounds of stoichiometry Gd^sub 2-x^Eu^sub x^Zr^sub 2^O^sub 7^ (0.0 x 2.0) synthesized by high temperature solid state reaction method, were analyzed with the help of XRD and Rietveld structural refinement method. The results indicated that the phases of compounds continuously kept the phase of pyrochlore under our experimental condition. The linear relation between a and x was discovered in the system of Gd^sub 2-x^Eu^sub x^Zr^sub 2^O^sub 7^ (0.0