Influence of radiation on borosilicate glass leaching behaviors

Vitrification is widely recognized as a promising method for the geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) worldwide. To ensure the safe disposal of radioactive waste, the borosilicate glass that vitrifies HLW must exhibit exceptional water resistance to prevent the possibility of groundwater corrosion and subsequent radioactive leaks. Radiation might change the water resistance of borosilicate glass. A series of zirconium-containing borosilicate glass with an irradiation dose of 0.3 dpa were utilized to examine the radiation effect on glass-water interaction. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Time-of-Flight Secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to investigate the leaching behavior of the non- and irradiated samples. The depth profile of the leached samples implied the interdiffusion dominated glass-water interaction. The results from FTIR and ICP-OES indicated that, after irradiation, the initial leaching rate increased by threefold. Additionally, the impact of different zirconium contents on the water resistance of borosilicate glass was also presented.