Crystallization behavior, structure and properties of glasses in SrO–Fe2O3–P2O5 system

Abstract Crystallization behavior, structure and properties of the glasses in SrO–Fe2O3–P2O5 ternary system, with the content of P2O5 fixed to be 60, 50 and 40 mol%, were studied systematically. For vitreous samples, thermal expansion coefficients (TEC) and characteristic temperature were obtained by using a thermal dilatometer, while their thermal stability was examined by using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). Accordingly, their heat treatment schedules were determined. Furthermore, their chemical durability was characterized according to the dissolution rate (DRwater) in distilled water at 90 °C. Glass forming region of the SrO–Fe2O3–P2O5 ternary system at 1250 °C has been identified. It was found that crystallization behavior, crystalline phase compositions, structure and properties of the samples are closely related to the ratios of O/P and Fe/P. Specifically, the iron phosphate glasses were explored as the host matrices to immobilize high-level radioactive wastes (HLWs) with high contents of 90Sr.