Structural investigation of borosilicate glasses by using XAFS measurement in soft X-ray region, 3 (Joint research)

Nagai, Takayuki; Okamoto, Yoshihiro; Yamagishi, Hirona*; Shibata, Daisuke*; Kojima, Kazuo*; Hasegawa, Takehiko*; Sato, Seiichi*; Fukaya, Akane*; Hatakeyama, Kiyoshi*

JAEA-Research 2023-004, 45 Pages, 2023/09

JAEA-Research-2023-004.pdf:6.07MB

The local structure of glass-forming elements and waste elements in borosilicate glasses varies with its chemical composition. In this study, simulated waste glass samples were prepared and the chemical state regarding boron (B), silicon (Si) and waste elements of iron (Fe), cesium (Cs) were estimated by using XAFS measurement in soft X-ray region. To understand the chemical stability of simulated waste glasses, XANES spectra of B K-edge, Fe L, L-edge, and Cs M, M-edge were measured on the glass surface exposed to the leachate. As a result, it was found that the glass surface exposed to the leachate was changed and it was difficult to obtain a clear XANES spectrum. From the B K-edge XANES spectra on glass surfaces exposed to the leachate, an increase in three-coordination of B-O (BO) and a decrease in four-coordination of B-O (BO) were observed compared to the glass surfaces before immersion. The XANES spectra of Fe L, L-edge, and Cs M, M-edge show that as the exposure time in the leachate increases, the Cs present on the glass surface dissolves into the leachate. The XANES spectra of Si K-edge were measured on simulated waste glass surfaces before immersion, and it was confirmed that the change in XANES spectra given by NaO concentration had a larger effect than the waste component concentration.

Synchrotron analysis of simulated waste glasses different in boron isotope ingredient

Nagai, Takayuki; Tone, Masaya; Katsuoka, Nanako; Okamoto, Yoshihiro; Baba, Yuji*; Akiyama, Daisuke*

Photon Factory Activity Report 2022 (Internet), 3 Pages, 2023/00

https://pfwww.kek.jp/acr/2022pdf/u_reports/pf22b0056.pdf

no abstracts in English

Structural investigation of borosilicate glasses by using XAFS measurement in soft X-ray region, 2 (Joint research)

Nagai, Takayuki; Okamoto, Yoshihiro; Yamagishi, Hirona*; Kojima, Kazuo*; Inose, Takehiko*; Sato, Seiichi*; Hatakeyama, Kiyoshi*

JAEA-Research 2022-008, 37 Pages, 2022/10

JAEA-Research-2022-008.pdf:5.27MB

The local structure of glass-forming elements and waste elements in borosilicate glasses varies with its chemical composition. In this study, borosilicate glass frit and simulated waste glass samples were prepared and the chemical state regarding boron (B), silicon (Si) and waste elements of iron (Fe), cesium (Cs) were estimated by using XAFS measurement in soft X-ray region. Following results were obtained by XAFS measurements of simulated waste glass surfaces after immersion test to investigate the long chemical stability. (1) As the leaching time of glass samples in immersion test passed, the Cs M, M-edge XANES spectra disappeared and the Fe L, L-edge spectra changed. (2) A new compound was formed on the sample surface after the immersion test, and these changes in the surface state were confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. However, it became difficult to obtain a clear B K-edge XANES spectrum by forming a compound on glass surfaces. The Si K-edge XANES spectra of borosilicate glass frits with different NaO content were measured, and following was confirmed. (1) As the NaO concentration increases in borosilicate glass frit, the K-edge peak of Si shifts to the low energy side. (2) The intensity of the Si K-edge peak is maximum when the NaO content in glass frits was about 7wt%.

Study on the relation between the crystal structure and thermal stability of FeUO and CrUO

Akiyama, Daisuke*; Kusaka, Ryoji; Kumagai, Yuta; Nakada, Masami; Watanabe, Masayuki; Okamoto, Yoshihiro; Nagai, Takayuki; Sato, Nobuaki*; Kirishima, Akira*

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 568, p.153847_1 - 153847_10, 2022/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2022.153847

FeUO, CrUO, and FeCrUO are monouranates containing pentavalent U. Even though these compounds have similar crystal structures, their formation conditions and thermal stability are significantly different. To determine the factors causing the difference in thermal stability between FeUO and CrUO, their crystal structures were evaluated in detail. A Raman band was observed at 700 cm in all the samples. This Raman band was derived from the stretching vibration of the O-U-O axis band, indicating that FeCrUO was composed of a uranyl-like structure in its lattice regardless of its "x"' value. Mssbauer measurements indicated that the Fe in FeUO and FeCrUO were trivalent. Furthermore, FeCrUO lost its symmetry around Fe with increasing electron densities around Fe, as the abundance of Cr increased. These results suggested no significant structural differences between FeUO and CrUO. Thermogravimetric measurements for UO, FeUO, and CrUO showed that the temperature at which FeUO decomposed under an oxidizing condition (approximately 800 C) was significantly lower than the temperature at which the decomposition of CrUO started (approximately 1250 C). Based on these results, we concluded that the decomposition of FeUO was triggered by an "in-crystal" redox reaction, i.e., Fe U Fe U, which would not occur in the CrUO lattice because Cr could never be reduced under the investigated condition. Finally, the existence of Cr in FexCrUO effectively suppressed the decomposition of the FeCrUO crystal, even at a very low Cr content.

Nanoscopic structure of borosilicate glass with additives for nuclear waste vitrification

Motokawa, Ryuhei; Kaneko, Koji; Oba, Yojiro; Nagai, Takayuki; Okamoto, Yoshihiro; Kobayashi, Taishi*; Kumada, Takayuki; Heller, W. T.*

Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, 578, p.121352_1 - 121352_7, 2022/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnoncrysol.2021.121352

EXAFS studies for atomic structural change induced by ion irradiation of a reactor pressure vessel steel

Iwata, Keiko; Takamizawa, Hisashi; Ha, Yoosung; Shimodaira, Masaki; Okamoto, Yoshihiro; Honda, Mitsunori; Katsuyama, Jinya; Nishiyama, Yutaka

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B, 511, p.143 - 152, 2022/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2021.11.009

Crystal structure of ULnO (Ln = Gd, Er) solid solution

Pham, V. M.*; Arima, Tatsumi*; Inagaki, Yaohiro*; Idemitsu, Kazuya*; Akiyama, Daisuke*; Nagai, Takayuki; Okamoto, Yoshihiro

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 556, p.153189_1 - 153189_9, 2021/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2021.153189

The crystal structure change was evaluated for (1-x)UO-xLnO (Ln=Gd or Er; x = 0 to 0.4) samples sintered at 1973 K for 8 h under Ar and Ar-10%H atmospheres. The effect of LnO doping on the crystal structure of UO was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS). LnO doping into UO reduced the lattice parameter of UO-LnO solid solutions up to 40mol% LnO. The lattice parameters of these samples were comparable to those of stoichiometric (U,Ln)O solid solutions, that is, the O/M ratios were close to 2.00. The U L-edge XANES analysis showed that higher U oxidation states of +5 or +6 formed, in addition to + 4. The EXAFS analysis indicated that the interatomic distances of U-O and Gd-O decreased with increasing x, whereas those of Er-O may not decrease monotonically.

Transfer behavior of cesium adsorbed on clay minerals in aqueous solution

Okamoto, Yoshihiro; Osugi, Takeshi; Shiwaku, Hideaki; Akabori, Mitsuo*

Insights Concerning the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident, Vol.4; Endeavors by Scientists, p.285 - 294, 2021/10

The transfer behavior of cesium adsorbed on some clay minerals in aqueous solution was investigated by X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) analysis of the Cs K-edge. The sample was prepared by mixing Cs-adsorbed mineral with a different pure clay mineral in water. The XAFS results of the dried mixture powder were compared with those obtained before mixing. It was recognized from the XAFS analysis for three kinds of clay minerals illite, kaolinite and vermiculite, that cesium was transferred from kaolinite to illite and vermiculite, and from illite to vermiculite. It can be concluded that cesium is transferred to and accumulated in vermiculite.

XAFS analysis of ruthenium in simulated iron phosphate radioactive waste glass

Okamoto, Yoshihiro; Kobayashi, Hidekazu; Shiwaku, Hideaki; Sasage, Kenichi; Hatakeyama, Kiyoshi*; Nagai, Takayuki

Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, 551, p.120393_1 - 120393_8, 2021/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnoncrysol.2020.120393

The chemical state of ruthenium in simulated iron phosphate radioactive waste glass was investigated by conventional X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) and imaging XAFS analyses. The EXAFS analysis suggested that ruthenium was contained as glass phase when content of the waste components was less than 10wt.% in 30 mol%FeO-PO base glass. In other samples, crystalline RuO was predominant. According to the imaging XAFS analysis, RuO particles in all samples had length smaller than 50m. Aggregations of RuO, which are found in nuclear waste borosilicate glass, were not seen in any of the iron phosphate glass samples.

Structural investigation of simulated waste glass samples by using XAFS measurement in soft X-ray region (Joint research)

Nagai, Takayuki; Okamoto, Yoshihiro; Yamagishi, Hirona*; Ota, Toshiaki*; Kojima, Kazuo*; Inose, Takehiko*; Sato, Seiichi*; Hatakeyama, Kiyoshi*

JAEA-Research 2020-009, 48 Pages, 2020/09

JAEA-Research-2020-009.pdf:4.53MB

The local structure of glass-forming elements and waste elements in waste glass varies with its chemical composition. In this study, borosilicate glass frit and simulated waste glass samples were prepared and the local structure and chemical state regarding boron (B), oxygen (O), and waste elements of cerium (Ce), cesium (Cs) were estimated by using XAFS measurement in soft X-ray region. Following results were obtained by XAFS measurements of prepared glass frit and simulated waste glass samples: (1) The existence ratio of four coordinate sp structure (BO) tends to increase with increasing NaO content in glass samples. (2) The height of a pre-edge which appears by K-edge XANES spectrum of O is so high that the Fe content in glass samples. Following results were obtained by XAFS measurements of simulated waste glass samples after immersion test to investigate long chemical stability. (1) The existence ratio of four coordinate sp structure (BO) increases by immersion test. (2) Ce which exists in the surface layer is oxidized by immersion test, and much of Cs in surface layer is lost after leach testing. Even if the glass frit form (fiber cartridge or beads) and manufacturing method were changed and a glass sample of the similar chemical composition was prepared, these observed Raman spectra of samples were different.