Processing glass–pyrochlore composites for nuclear waste encapsulation

Glass matrix composites have been developed as alternative materials to immobilize nuclear solid waste, in particular actinides. These composites are made of soda borosilicate glass matrix, into which particles of lanthanum zirconate pyrochlore are encapsulated in concentrations of 30 vol.%. The fabrication process involves powder mixing followed by hot-pressing. At the relatively low processing temperature used (620 °C), the pyrochlore crystalline structure of the zirconate, which is relevant for containment of radioactive nuclei, remains unaltered. The microstructure of the composites exhibits a homogeneous distribution of isolated pyrochlore particles in the glass matrix and strong bonding at the matrix–particle interfaces. Hot-pressing was found to lead to high densification (95% th.d.) of the composite. The materials are characterized by relatively high elastic modulus, flexural strength, hardness and fracture toughness. A numerical approach using a microstructure-based finite element solver was used in order to investigate the mechanical properties of the composites.