In situ Xe ion irradiation of Nd-doped CaTiO3 perovskite ceramics to simulate nuclear waste immobilization

Developing efficient ceramic waste forms with high radiation stability for radioactive waste immobilization is very important for human and environmental safety. In this work, Ca1-xNd2x/3TiO3 (x = 0.225, 0.375 and 0.85) ceramics were prepared using solid state reaction method. Neodymium (Nd) was used as a surrogate for radioactive actinide species. The obtained ceramics have been characterized using XRD and Raman spectroscopy. To assess the performance of the ceramics in disposal conditions, heavy ion irradiation using 650 keV Xe with increasing doses was performed. The structural evolution of the irradiated compositions was monitored during ion irradiation using selected area electron diffraction (SAED). The results show that the radiation resistance is dependent on Nd concentrations, where the compositions with x = 0.225 and 0.375 exhibit the highest radiation stability. Furthermore, structure amorphization of the ceramics tends to increase with the increase of irradiation doses for all the compositions.