Corrosion behavior of high-level waste container materials Ti and Ti-Pd alloy under long-term gamma irradiation in Beishan groundwater

Titanium and titanium-palladium alloys are important potential materials for nuclear waste container,which will endure both intenseγ-irradiation and groundwater erosion.Therefore,it is very important to investigate the corrosion behavior of the container materials.In this research,the cumulative dose effect of TA8-1 type titanium-palladium alloy(TA8-1)and TA2-type pure titanium(TA2)underγ-irradiation was studied based on the geological disposal of nuclear wastes.The irradiation experiments were performed at room temperature using^(60)Co gamma sources with a 5.0-kGy·h^(-1)intensity for 40,80 or 160 days,respectively.The pH value and conductivity of Beishan groundwater were investigated.The results showed that the pH value changed from alkaline(8.22)to acidic(2.46 for TA8-1 and 2.44 for TA2),while the un-irradiated solution remained alkaline(8.17 for TA8-1 and 8.20 for TA2)after 160 days.With the increase of irradiation dose,the conductivity increases rapidly and then tends to become stable,which indicates that the titanium dioxide corrosion layer formed on the surface of the sample surface effectively prevents further corrosion.Meanwhile,XRD and SEM-EDS analysis results show that the main components of corrosion products are TiO_(2) and TiO.The titanium on the surface of the sample is oxidized,resulting in slight uneven local corrosion.The results show that TA8-1 and TA2 are suitable to be used as candidate materials for high-level waste(HLW)disposal containers due to their excellent performance under long-term and high-dose irradiation corrosion.

Formation of ZrB2in MgO-C Composite Materials Using In-Situ Synthesis Method

ZrB2 in MgO-C composite materials obtained by both microwave sintering synthesis and in-situ reaction at lower temperature was investigated. The test result shows that 66.67 % of reactant changed into Zrb2, and the other form Al2O3, which could optimize the properties of carbon containing materials. Therefore, the method of in situ synthesizing ZrB2 acting as antioxidant in carbon containing materials is considered as one of best ways to reduce the cost and ZrB2 as refractories is used on a large-scale.

Association between Phthalate Exposure and the Use of Plastic Containers in Shanghai Adults

Objective Consuming phthalates may be due to the presence of food contact materials, such as plastic containers. In this study, we investigated the association between plastic container use and phthalate exposure in 2,140 Shanghai adults. Methods Participants completed a questionnaire on the frequency of using plastic containers in different scenarios in the previous year （e.g., daily, weekly） and on the consumption of plastic-packaged foods in the previous three days （yes or no）. Urinary phthalate metabolites were used to assess the association between phthalate exposure and the use of plastic containers. Results The metabolites of di-（2-ethylhexyl） phthalate （DEHP） were the most frequently detected in urine. The results revealed that phthalate exposure was associated with consumption of plastic-packaged breakfast or processed food items in the previous three days. The consumption of these two food items had strong synergistic effects on increasing urinary concentrations of most phthalate metabolites. Conclusion Our results of plastic-packaged breakfast and processed food may be explained by the use of flexible plastic containers, indicating the importance of risk assessment for the application of flexible plastic containers.

Understanding the role of alloyed Ni and Cu on improving corrosion resistance of low alloy steel in the simulated Beishan groundwater

The corrosion behavior of NiCu low alloy steel and Q235 low carbon steel as the candidate materials for geological disposal containers of high-level radioactive waste in the simulated Beishan groundwater was comparatively studied by weight loss test,electrochemical measurements,scanning electron microscope(SEM),electron probe microanalysis(EPMA),X-ray diffraction(XRD),Raman spectrum and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS).The electrochemical results showed that the corrosion potential of NiCu steel and Q235 steel gradually increased with the immersion time.Simultaneously,the cathodic process transited from hydrogen evolution reaction(HER) control to the rust reduction control,while the anodic process was always dominated by the active dissolution of iron.By comparison,both the cathodic resistance and the anodic dissolution resistance of NiCu steel corrosion were apparently higher than that of Q235 steel.The results of rust layer characterization indicated that Ni and Cu elements could be enriched in the inner rust layer of NiCu steel and the rust layer was more compact.As the main corrosion products,the content of α-FeOOH in the rust layer of NiCu steel was obviously increased more than that of Q235 steel.Fe_(6)(OH)_(12)SO_(4)stably existed in the corrosion products of NiCu steel because Ni(Ⅱ) or Cu(Ⅱ)could substitute Fe(Ⅱ) of Fe_(6)(OH)_(12)SO_(4)and increased its oxidation resistance,Moreover,Ni and Cu could also make Fe3O4ionic selective by doping.After the long-term immersion,the corrosion mass loss of NiCu steel was significantly lower than Q235 steel,which further confirmed the benefits of Ni and Cu alloying on improving the steel corrosion resistance.

Electroless plating of copper layer on surfaces of urea-formaldehyde microcapsule particles containing paraffin for low infrared emissivity

A copper coating was deposited by electroless plating on the surfaces of urea-formaldehyde microcap- sules containing paraffin （UFP） particles. This composite microcapsule structure had low infrared OR） emissivity and maintained a constant temperature, and could be used in IR stealth applications. The eiectroless copper layer formation and its micro-appearance, and the effect of the copper layer on the IR emissivity and thermal properties of the composite microcapsules were investigated. The IR emissivity of the composite microcapsules at wavelengths of 1-14 μm gradually decreased with increasing copper mass on the surface. After formation of an integrated copper layer, the rate of IR emissivity decrease was lower. This is because the copper coating improves the surface conductivity of the UFP; a high conductivity results in high reflectivity, which leads to a decrease in IR emissivity. The lowest IR emissivity achieved was 0.68. The phase-change enthalpy of the composite microcapsules decreased with increasing amount of copper coated on the surface because of the high density of copper. When the mass increase of the UFP after electroless copper plating was about 300%, the composite microcapsules had low IR emissivity （about 0.8） and a high phase-change enthalpy （80J/g）.