Friskney, A.A. orcid.org/0000-0001-7514-2634, Aldean, I., Corkhill, C.L. orcid.org/0000-0002-7488-3219 et al. (1 more author) (2023) Process development of zirconolite ceramics for Pu disposition: use of a CuO sintering aid. Ceramics, 6 (1). pp. 678-685. ISSN 2571-6131
Abstract
Zirconolite-structured ceramics are candidate wasteform materials for the immobilisation of separated Pu. Due to the refractory properties of zirconolite and other titanates, removing residual porosity remains challenging in the final wasteform product when utilising a conventional solid state sintering route. Herein, we demonstrate that the addition of CuO as a sintering aid increases densification and promotes grain growth. Moreover, zirconolite phase formation was enhanced at lower process temperatures than typically required (≥1350 °C). CuO addition allowed an equivalent density to be reached using process temperatures of 250 °C lower than the undoped composition. At 150 °C lower than the undoped zirconolite, the addition of CuO resulted in a favourable microstructure and phase assemblage, as confirmed via X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Secondary phases of CaTiO3 and Ca0.25Cu0.75TiO3 were observed at some processing temperatures, which may prove deleterious to wasteform performance. The use of a CuO sintering aid provides an avenue for the further development of the thermal processing of ceramic wasteform materials.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
Keywords: | zirconolite; ceramic; immobilisation; sintering; wasteform |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Engineering (Sheffield) > Department of Materials Science and Engineering (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number ENGINEERING AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE RESEARCH COUNCIL EP/N017374/1 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council EP/T011424/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 21 Apr 2023 13:03 |
Last Modified: | 21 Apr 2023 13:03 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | MDPI AG |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.3390/ceramics6010041 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:198352 |