Influence of the irradiation in cement for the Brazilian radioactive waste repositories: Characterization via X-ray diffraction, X-ray tomography and quasielastic neutron scattering

摘要

Powerful characterization techniques have allowed detailing the investigation of cementitious materials that must endure for millennia as an engineered barrier in radioactive waste repositories. Cement is used in the repository, as waste immobilization matrix, structural material and an additional barrier against the contact of the waste with the biosphere. The material properties have to comply with requirements in respect to a number of parameters including homogeneity, permeability, and leachability, as well as withstand mechanical stress, heat, chemical and microbial attack, and the effects of ionizing radiation.