Particle-induced amorphization complex ceramic

The presently funded three-year research program, supported by the Division of Materials Sciences of the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, was initiated on August 1, 1993; during the period in which the grant will have been active, $249,561 of support have been provided to date with an additional $79,723 to be spent during the third, final year (ending July 30, 1996). The primary purpose of the program is to develop an understanding of heavy-particle radiation effects -- {alpha}-recoil nuclei, fission fragments, ion-irradiations -- on ceramic materials and the thermal annealing mechanisms by which crystallinity might be restored. During the past two years, we have completed major studies on zircon (ZrSiO{sub 4}), olivine (Mg{sub 2}SiO{sub 4} and ten other compositions), spinel (MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} and four other compositions), and silica polymorphs (quartz, coesite and stishovite), as well as berlinite (AlPO{sub 4}) which is isomorphous with quartz. In addition, based on the above research, we propose the use of zircon as a host phase for the immobilization of plutonium resulting from weapons dismantlement