Nd–Mo-borosilicate glass–ceramic: Synthesis, characterization and response to ionizing radiation

Abstract A new borosilicate glass–ceramic with high content of Mo and Nd was synthesized and thoroughly characterized. The structure of the material after it was subjected to 5 MeV He+ was investigated. 5 MeV He+ was chosen since it deposits most of the energy as ionizing radiation rather than as nuclear stopping and therefore can be used to simulate self-radiation in advanced nuclear waste-forms. As a result of irradiation, slight Mo reduction occurred together with increased numbers of crystalline precipitates. Those results are interesting for understanding the behavior of systems with high Mo and Nd content such as nuclear waste-forms demonstrating an influence that ionizing radiation can have on the chemistry, environmental stability and microstructure of the waste-forms.