SPS technique for ionizing radiation source fabrication based on dense cesium-containing core

E K Papynov; O O Shichalin; V Yu Mayorov; V G Kuryavyi; T A Kaidalova; L V Teplukhina; A S Portnyagin; A B Slobodyuk; A A Belov; I G Tananaev; V A Avramenko; V I Sergienko

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.02.016

SPS technique for ionizing radiation source fabrication based on dense cesium-containing core

J Hazard Mater. 2019 May 5:369:25-30. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.02.016. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Chemistry, Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 159, Prosp. 100-letiya Vladivostoka, Vladivostok, 690022, Russia; Far Eastern Federal University, 8, Sukhanova St., Vladivostok, 690091, Russia.
² Institute of Chemistry, Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 159, Prosp. 100-letiya Vladivostoka, Vladivostok, 690022, Russia.
³ Institute of Chemistry, Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 159, Prosp. 100-letiya Vladivostoka, Vladivostok, 690022, Russia; Far Eastern Federal University, 8, Sukhanova St., Vladivostok, 690091, Russia. Electronic address: arsuha@gmail.com.
⁴ Institute of Chemistry, Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 159, Prosp. 100-letiya Vladivostoka, Vladivostok, 690022, Russia; Far Eastern Federal University, 8, Sukhanova St., Vladivostok, 690091, Russia; A.N. Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry of Russian Academy of Sciences, 1, Leninsky prosp., Moscow, 199071, Russia.

PMID: 30763796
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.02.016

Abstract

The work presents a novel method for fabrication of the high-quality ionizing radiation source (IRS), which is promising to replace unsafe commercial products based on ¹³⁷CsCl prohibited by IAEA. Spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique has been applied to produce dense ceramic and glass-ceramic matrixes from Cs-containing (˜13.5 wt.%) zeolite yielding in non-dispersible cores sealed in the container of radiation-resistant steel (J93503, US standard). One-stage SPS regimes to provide high-quality product have been optimized: sintering temperature <1000 °C, heating and holging duration 13 and 5 min, respectively, pressure 24.5 MPa. XRD, SEM, EDX, BET, XFS and solid-state MAS NMR ¹³³Cs methods prove exceptional physico-chemical and mechanical characteristics of the obtained materials, namely: density 99.8% from theoretical, compressive strength ˜477 MPa, leaching rate 10^-4-10^-6 g cm^-2 day^-1. Results of the investigation can be promising for fabrication of the IRS cores on a large scale as done for similar Russian products RSL, IGI-C, M37C, GID-C.

Keywords: Ceramics and glass-ceramics; Hydrolytic stability; Immobilization; Ionizing radiation sources; Natural zeolite; Radiocesium; Radionuclides; Spark plasma sintering.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't