Electron and ion irradiation of zeolites

Abstract Three zeolites (analcime, natrolite, and zeolite-Y) were irradiated with 200 and 400 keV electrons. All zeolites amorphized at a relatively low electron fluence. The electron fluences for amorphization by the 200 keV electron irradiation at room temperature were: 7.0×10 19 e − / cm 2 (analcime), 1.8×10 20 e − / cm 2 (natrolite), and 3.4×10 20 e − / cm 2 (zeolite-Y). These doses are equivalent to an energy deposition between 2.6×1010 and 1.27×1011 Gy. An inverse temperature dependence of amorphization dose was observed for all three zeolites, i.e., amorphization dose decreased with increasing temperature. Analcime was also irradiated with 1.5 MeV Kr+ from 300 to 973 K. The amorphization dose by the ion irradiation was constant, ∼1×10 14 ions / cm 2 , which is ∼0.1 dpa of collisional damage and ∼6.25 × 108 Gy of ionizing energy deposition.