| Abstract Scope |
Pyrochlore (A2B2O7) exhibits a wide range of properties that are important for applications such as solid oxide fuel cell electrolytes, actinide-bearing nuclear waste forms, and inert matrix fuels. Swift heavy ion irradiation (GeV energies) has been used to systematically modify pyrochlore oxides. Combined synchrotron X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy have shown that radiation-induced amorphization and disordering transformations occur within concentric damage zones of individual ion tracks, with the specific response strongly dependent on the pyrochlore composition. More recently, neutron total scattering combined with pair distribution function analysis has enabled detailed characterization of cation and anion defects, as well as short-range order. These studies reveal that radiation-induced structural changes are more complex than previously recognized, involving distinct processes across multiple length scales. For example, disordered pyrochlores retain locally ordered structural units arranged in weberite-type configurations that remain undetectable using most conventional characterization techniques. |