The structure of aperiodic, metamict (Ca, Th)ZrTi₂O₇(zirconolite): An EXAFS study of the Zr, Th, and U sites

The structural environments of Zr, Th, and U in aperiodic (metamict) (Ca, Th)ZrTi₂O₇were examined using Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. Samples are aperiodic due to a radiation-induced transformation caused by alpha-decay event damage. In the aperiodic samples, Zr is mainly 7-coordinated [d(Zr−O) ≍ 2.14–2.17 ≍ 0.02 Å]; whereas, Th is mainly 8-coordinated [d(Th–O) ≍ 2.40−2.41 ≍ 0.03 Å]. Nearly identical bond lengths and coordination numbers for these elements were determined for an annealed, crystalline sample. The radiation-induced transition from the periodic to the aperiodic state is characterized by a significant broadening of the distribution of (Zr, Th)–O distances. In one metamict sample with ≍1.9 wt.% U₃O₈, U is essentially tetravalent. The absence of higher oxidation states (U⁶⁺) is consistent with the lack of evidence for alteration (samples are over 500 million years old). The reduced medium-range order around Zr, Th, and U is related to the increase of alpha-decay event damage and precludes decomposition of zirconolite into simple oxides of Zr, Th, or U. Comparison with other metamict (Zr, Th, U)-bearing phases (e.g., ZrSiO₄and ThSiO₄) suggests that Zr⁴⁺, Th⁴⁺, and U⁴⁺prefer 7-, 8-, and 6-coordinated sites, respectively, in aperiodic phases at ambient temperatures and pressures. Examination of the structure of crystalline (Ca, Th)ZrTi₂O₇demonstrates that M–O–M angles (M = Ca, Ti, Zr, and Th) are relatively small (≍100–120° for edge-sharing polyhedra). A limited relaxation of the constraints of periodicity around M cations caused by radiation damage (e.g., tilting of polyhedra) dramatically affects the distribution of these angles. This type of structural relaxation may be the mechanism by which long-range periodicity is lost and medium-range order is reduced with increasing radiation damage, while the major cations retain their nearest-neighbor environments. This relaxation may also help explain the lattice expansion observed in zirkelites when they undergo radiation damage.