Radiation effects on borosilicate glass irradiated with ions

Abstract

Vitrification is an extensively accepted method to deal with highly level radioactive waste (HLW). As one of the candidates for immobilizing HLW, the radiation effects on borosilicate glass attract extensive attention. In this work, borosilicate glass samples were irradiated with different ions and radiation effects were studied. The elemental distribution with depth, volume, hardness and modulus variations were measured by ToF SIMS, AFM and nano-indentation, respectively. Trends of changing then saturating in volume, hardness and modulus were illustrated with the increase of dose. The increase of 3.5% in volume, decrease of 35.4% and 18.7% in hardness and modulus, respectively, were measured. Macroscopic properties of borosilicate glass changed remarkably with irradiations of ions. Therefore, one can draw a conclusion that changes in the macroscopic properties (hardness and modulus) of borosilicate glass would happen in condition of alpha decay. Deposition of nuclear stopping in borosilicate glass was an important reason of variations of the macroscopic properties. Both the alpha particle and recoil nucleus contributed the changes in the macroscopic properties of borosilicate glass, none of them was negligible. The radiation effects by impact of alpha particles and recoil nuclear on borosilicate could be simulated by irradiation of single heavy energy ions. These are important to study the radiation effects of alpha decay on vitrification.