| Abstract Scope |
Confinement of radionuclides in borosilicate glass matrix is subject to the durability of vitrified nuclear glass in the aqueous medium on the geological time scales under repository conditions. It is now well accepted that under aqueous condition there is a formation of a gel layer. However, the properties of this gel layer are not well understood yet. In this work using atomistic modelling, a series of borosilicate glasses- pristine and irradiated- are prepared and further, gels are prepared by replacing boron and sodium by hydrogen. These gels are then aged at different temperatures - 500K, 1000K, 1500K and 2000K. It is seen that, indeed, there is a difference in the properties gel (connectivity, short and medium range order) formed from pristine and irradiated glass. For example, the mean square displacement of hydrogen is orders of magnitude higher in the gel formed from irradiated glass as compared to pristine glass. |