Abstract
Faster disposition of large stock of plutonium available from both the dismantled weapons and accumulated stock from operation of the civilian nuclear power reactors has become a subject of international interest. Zirconia and/or alumina, magnesia based ceramic-ceramic composites (CCC) are considered as candidate matrix materials for plutonium burning on the basis of stable physical and chemical properties. The major advantage of such composite materials is that they consist of stable mineral and resemble ordinary rocks which are chemically and thermody- namically stable for geological periods even after irradiation to high burn-up. The spent fuel also remains in the form of stable minerals and, as such, suitable for direct disposal as high level waste in geological repositories. The present paper highlights the sintering and characterization of two such systems based on ZrO2-ThO2-CeO2 and Al2O3-MgO-ThO2-CeO2.
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