High temperature XRD (HTXRD) study of NaSmCa₈ (PO₄)₆F₂ compound

Halides containing radioactive wastes are generated during pyrochemical reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel of advance nuclear reactors such as molten salt reactor, metallic fuel based reactor etc. Halide wastes vitrification in alkali borosilicate glass is not suitable due to the low solubility of halide ions in host matrix. Hence, alternative waste form candidates like calcium fluorapatite were investigated which can accommodate a large variety of cations (mono-, bi- and trivalent) and anions due to the high structural flexibility. In present study, NaSmCa₈ (PO₄)₆F₂ compound was synthesized by solid state reaction route and the obtained hexagonal pure phase was identified by XRD. To explore the thermal stability of the compound, high temperature XRD data (HTXRD) was recorded starting from ambient temperature up to 1073K in argon atmosphere