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INL reports findings on unusual quantum behavior of plutonium
Scientists at Idaho National Laboratory have discovered that plutonium hexaboride (PuB6) displays a type of unusual quantum property called a topological Kondo insulating state. Materials with this property are neither typical electricity conductors nor regular insulators. Rather, they have exterior surfaces that strongly conduct electricity and interiors that block electricity.
Kiyomi Funabashi, Koichi Chino, Makoto Kikuchi, Susumu Horiuchi, Hiroyuki Tsuchiya
Nuclear Technology | Volume 96 | Number 2 | November 1991 | Pages 185-191
Technical Paper | Radioactive Waste Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT91-A34604
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Radioactive waste slurry generated from nuclear power plants is dried and compressed into pellets. These pellets are dropped in a polymer-impregnated concrete (PIC) barrier and solidified with cement-glass, which is a mixture of sodium silicate and cement. The mechanical strength of the PIC barrier is about three times higher than that of ordinary portland cement because of added steel fibers. The leaching ratio from the package is experimentally studied using 14C, 60Co, 85Sr, 99Tc, I25I, and 134Cs. Because of the low porosity of the PIC barrier, the leaching rate is controlled and increases in proportion to immersion time. The maximum leaching ratio from a 200-ℓ package is estimated to be 0.004/yr.