Geopolymer materials for nuclear industry

We developed a synthetic route for the production of a versatile geopolymer material with application in the passive safety system of GEN IV reactors. Such material contains a geopolymer matrix based on aluminosilicates and a filler. The filler powder can be broadly selected according to the needs (Gd₂O₃ as neutron absorber, Al₂O₃ as refractory oxide, Fe₂O₃ as chemically active material, etc). We characterised the products by various solid-state techniques (mechanical properties, electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction). We also tested the radiation stability of the material under gamma radiation of ⁶⁰Co source mimicking the condition around the reactor pit during the life time of the material.