HRTEM observations on electron irradiation damage in F-apatite

Abstract

Radiation damage in crystalline phases with the apatite structure is of interest in the biomedical, geoscience, and materials science communities. Phases close to hydroxyl apatite [Ca5(PO4)3OH] in composition are volumetrically the most significant in dental enamel and bone. Natural apatites with variable halogen compositions [Ca5(PO4)3(F,OH,Cl)] are used by geoscientists to place constraints on the thermochronologic conditions under which portions of the Earth evolved. Rare-earth-silicate isomorphs of these naturally occurring apatites are also of interest because they may be actinide hosts in ceramic nuclear waste forms.