Abstract
With the second difference electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) technique, transuranic(TRU) and rare-earth (RE) elements have been detected at low concentration levels (< 200 ppm) in alteration phases formed during the laboratory corrosion of nuclear waste glass. Use of the high-energy M4.5 edges to detect TRU elements is the only method available to positively identify them because the weaker lower-energy N4.5 edges overlap with the more intense M4.5 edges of the trace levels of REs that may be present in the same alteration phases. The position and intensity of the M4.5 absorption edges of the TRU were confirmed with samples of transuranic contaminated soils and data from the literature. The M4 : M5 ratio for the actinide absorption edges was used, in combination with crystal chemical considerations to determine chemical state.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 69-75 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Ultramicroscopy |
| Volume | 67 |
| Issue number | 1-4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 1 1997 |
| Externally published | Yes |
| Event | Proceedings of the 1996 6th Conference on Frontiers in Electron Microscopy in Materials Science - Oak Brook, IL, USA Duration: Jun 4 1996 → Jun 7 1996 |
Funding
supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Management, under contract W-31-109-ENG-38. Yucca Mountain in Nevada is being evaluated as a site for the permanent placement of vitrified high-level waste (HLW) in the form of a borosili- *Corresponding author. Tel.: 630-252-6486; fax 630-252-4771; e-mail: [email protected]. ~Work carried out by Argonne National Laboratory, managed by the University of Chicago for the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Management, under Contract W-31-109-ENG-38.
Keywords
- Electron energy loss spectroscopy
- Transmission electron microscopy
- Transuranics
- Ultramicrotome
- Uranium