Application of ion beams to nuclear waste issues: evaluation of nuclear ceramics

Oxide ceramics are promising matrices for nuclear waste immobilization or t ransmutation. The most important issue concerning these materials is the in vestigation of their physico-chemical properties with respect to safety cri teria. This paper shows the potentiality of ion beams for the evaluation of ceramics as nuclear waste matrices. Several items are concerned. The diffe rent sources of radiation damage occurring in the reactor and during the st orage term may be simulated by irradiation of the matrix with a variety of ions in a wide energy range. The doping of the material with foreign specie s produced by radioactive desintegration may be performed by ion implantati on of stable or radioactive isotopes. The modifications induced in the matr ices may be characterized by nuclear microanalysis techniques using medium- energy light ion beams. Examples relative to these various items are provid ed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.