Indo - UK Civil Nuclear Collaboration on Damage and Radiation Effects in Amorphous Materials (DREAM)

这项提议的总体目标是启动印度和英国的合作，以领导对核废料玻璃和玻璃复合材料中辐射损害过程的理解。英国的合作者将在两个主要领域做出贡献：提供将X射线光谱分析方法应用于辐射受损材料的专业知识，以及将先进的分析电子显微镜应用于玻璃和玻璃复合材料的表征。印度的合作者将带来多年的专业知识，通过电子自旋和正电子湮没光谱来制备和表征含放射性核素的核玻璃。该项目将利用伙伴国的世界级中心实验室进行材料辐照和同步辐射。这项合作的成果将是为开发地质处置设施中受辐射损伤的玻璃性能预测模型所需的基本理解。研究计划将系统地研究辐射诱导相分离的可能性，以及与核废料固定化相关的玻璃系统中阿尔法反冲损伤对结构和氧化还原活性元素形态的影响。将进行电子辐照和离子束注入实验来模拟β衰变和α衰变的影响，将使用体谱和纳米级化学和成像探针来确定不同损伤模式引起的点缺陷、相分离和网络聚合的变化的性质。我们还将通过简单但信息丰富的蚀变实验来研究辐射损伤对玻璃溶解速度的潜在有害影响。拟议的研究分为三个明确的研究包，目标如下：工作包1：辐射损伤导致模型核废料玻璃中的相分离本工作包的目的是了解在电子辐照和辐射加热联合影响下核废料玻璃中的相分离机理。工作包2：辐射诱导的模型核废料玻璃的结构修改本工作包的目的是了解α反冲损伤对玻璃结构的影响，使用离子束注入结合XAS和TEM。工作包3：辐射损伤对模型核废料玻璃溶解的影响本工作方案的目的是使用国际标准化的短期实验，确定辐射损伤对玻璃溶解的潜在有害影响。

The overarching objective of this proposal is to initiate an India-UK collaboration to lead development of understanding of radiation damage processes in nuclear waste glasses and glass composite materials. UK collaborators will contribute in two principal areas: provision of expertise in application of X-ray spectroscopy methods to radiation damaged materials and application of advanced analytical electron microscopy to glass and glass composite characterisation. Indian collaborators will bring many years of expertise in preparation and characterisation of radionuclide-containing nuclear glasses by electron spin and positron annihilation spectroscopies. This project will access world class central laboratories for materials irradiation and synchrotron radiation in the partner countries. The outcome of this collaboration will be to provide the fundamental understanding required to develop predictive models for performance of radiation damaged glasses in geological disposal facilities.The research programme will systematically investigate the potential for radiation induced phase separation and the impact of alpha-recoil damage on the structure, and speciation of redox active elements, in glass systems of relevance to nuclear waste immobilisation. Electron irradiation and ion beam implantation experiments will be performed to simulate the effects of beta- and alpha-decay, a combination of bulk spectroscopic and nano-scale chemical and imaging probes will be applied to determine the nature of point defects, phase separation and change in network polymerisation induced by different damage modes. We will also investigate the potential deleterious effects of radiation damage on glass dissolution rate through simple but informative alteration experiments. The proposed research is divided into three well defined research packages, with the following aims:Work Package 1: Radiation damage induced phase separation in model nuclear waste glassesThe aim of this WP is to develop an understanding of the mechanism of phase separation in nuclear waste glasses, under the influence of combined electron irradiation and radiogenic heating.Work Package 2: Radiation induced structural modification in model nuclear waste glassesThe aim of this WP is to develop an understanding of the effect of alpha-recoil damage on glass structure, using ion beam implantation combined with XAS and TEM.Work Package 3: Impact of radiation damage on dissolution of model nuclear waste glassesThe aim of this WP is to determine potential deleterious effects of radiation damage on glass dissolution, using internationally standardised short term experiments.