Study of damage and helium diffusion in fluoro-apatites

This work lies within the scope of the study of the radionuclides containment matrices. The choice of the fluoro-apatites as potential matrices of containment was suggested by the notable properties of these latter (thermal and chemical stability even under radioactive radiation). By irradiations with heavy ions and a helium implantation we simulated the effects related to the alpha radioactivity and to the spontaneous nuclear fission of the radionuclides. Thanks to the study of Durango fluoro-apatite single crystals and fluoro-apatite sintered ceramics, we evidenced that the damage fraction as well as the unit cell deformations increase with the electronic energy loss and with the substitution. These effects are followed at high fluences by a phenomenon of re-crystallization. The study of the helium diffusion points out that the thermal diffusion process improves with the substitution and strongly increases with heavy ions irradiation. (author)