About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Ceramics and Ceramic-Based Composites for Nuclear Applications III
|
| Presentation Title |
The thermodynamic stability of chernobylites |
| Author(s) |
Shinhyo Bang, Gabriel Roy, Arthur Avallone, Nicolas Dacheux, Xiaofeng Guo |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Shinhyo Bang |
| Abstract Scope |
Chernobylite is a solid solution between zircon (ZrSiO_4/_) and coffinite (USiO_4/_). Chernobylite was discovered in the molten nuclear fuel lava at Chernobyl, formed through corium–concrete interactions, highlighting its relevance to the safe management of nuclear materials and severe accident scenarios. In addition, the stability of chernobylite is of great interest, since zircon is considered an attractive crystalline matrix for immobilizing actinides. In contrast to zircon, coffinite has a positive enthalpy of formation, indicating its metastability. Previous studies using hydrothermal synthesis showed that the zircon structure can incorporate up to 60 mol% uranium. This led to the hypothesis that incorporating uranium would lower the structural stability. However, drop solution calorimetry demonstrated that chernobylite is thermodynamically more stable than its constituent oxides. This result can be understood by distinguishing solid solution phases into distinct domains, as evidenced by the local polyhedral structural differences. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Ceramics, Nuclear Materials, |