In order to investigate phase change and chemical stability of pyrochlore Gd2Zr2O7 used for immobilizing Pu(Ⅳ), tetravalent cerium is used as the simulacrums for plutonium with tetravalence, and Gd2Zr2-xCexO7(0≤ x≤ 2.0) series samples are successfully synthesized by high temperature solid reaction and using Gd2O3 and ZrO2 powders as starting materials. The experiments of long-term chemical stability are conducted in synthetic seawater at 40 °C and 70 °C separately. The XRD diffractive data and extraction ratio of as-gained samples are collected by the help of X-ray diffraction (XRD) instrument and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The results indicate that the phases of compounds change from pyrochlore to fluorite-type phase when the value of x is more than 0.08. Extraction ratios of Gd3+, Zr4+ and Ce4+ in waste forms increase with the increase of immersion time in synthetic seawater. The extraction ratio of waste form at 70 °C is higher than at 40 °C. The highest extraction ratios of Gd3+, Zr4+ and Ce4+ for 42 days are no more than 0.032, 0.003 and 0.032 μg·ml-1 respectively.
In order to investigate the capability of Gd2Zr2O7 pyrochlore as a waste form for immobilizing trivalent actinides nuclides, Nd(Ⅲ) is used as an alternative substance for An(Ⅲ). The compounds in the system Gd2-xNdxZr2O7 (0≤ x ≤ 2.0) are synthesized at 1500 ℃ for 72 h by high temperature solid state reaction method, using Gd2O3 and ZrO2 powders as the raw materials. The phase, intensity, Vickers hardness and microcosmic shape are characterized by X-ray diffraction, Vickers hardness tester, scanning electron microscopy and so on. The results indicate that the phase of synthesized waste form with plate-shape keeps the phase of pyrochlore. The intensity of compound slightly decreases with the increase of the containment capacity value x, but it is above 5.76 g·cm-3. The value of Vickers hardness also decreases with the increase of x. The values of x and Vickers hardness are linearly related by HV=695.18636-162.64091 x (HV≥ 400 kg·mm-2).
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.