Plutonium alteration phases from lanthanide borosilicate glass

A prototype lanthanide borosilicate (LaBS) glass containing 10 mass % plutonium was reacted with water vapor at 200 C for periods of 14 to 56 days. These tests, while not designed to replicate specific conditions that may be found in a potential geologic repository (e.g., Yucca Mountain), have been shown to accelerate alteration phase formation. The surfaces of the glass samples, along with alteration phases, were examined with a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Tests of 14 days produced macroscopic (∼ 20 microm) crystallites of a plutonium-lanthanide silicate. An extensive alteration layer was found on the glass surface containing amorphous aluminosilicate layered with bands of a cryptocrystalline plutonium silicate. After 56 days of testing, additional alteration phases were formed, including a strontium lanthanide oxide phase. One of the options for disposal of surplus plutonium, particularly for impure residues that may be unfit for production of MOX fuel, is vitrification followed by geologic disposal. Since geologic disposal requires a passive system to isolate the radiotoxic elements from the biosphere, it is important to understand the possible corrosion mechanisms of the waste form