Amorphization of rare earth aluminate garnets under ion irradiation and decay of 244Cm admixture

The stability of synthetic REE-aluminate garnets irradiated by accelerated Kr 2+ ions and affected by alpha decay of 244 Cm (T 1/2 = 18.1 yr) has been studied. The dose of irradiation sufficient for the complete disordering of the aluminate garnet structure is 0.40–0.55 displacements per atom. This value increases with rising temperature due to the increasing intensity of recovery from radiation damage to the lattice by heating. The critical temperature above which the structure of REE-aluminate is not damaged by radiation is 550°C. The amorphization dose for aluminates with garnet structure is two to three times higher than of that previously studied ferrites; the critical temperature of both is similar. In resistance to radiation, aluminate garnets do not yield to zirconolite and exceed titanate pyrochlore. Heating to 250°C does not lead to substantial recovery from radiation defects in the garnet structure. The radiation impact on matrices of real actinide (An) wastes is lower than that related to ion irradiation and 244 Cm doping, and this facilitates a higher radiation resistance of garnets containing HLW.