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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.
Iréne Lundén, Karin Andersson
Nuclear Technology | Volume 104 | Number 2 | November 1993 | Pages 252-257
Technical Paper | Special Issue on Waste Management / Radioactive Waste Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT93-A34888
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Many concepts for deep underground storage of high level radioactive waste include the use of bentonite (sodium-montmorillonite) as a backfill material surrounding the waste. It is therefore necessary to model the chemical conditions in the system sodiummontmorillonite-granitic groundwater-granitic rock in order to be able to predict the speciation and solubility of actinides and fission products in this environment. In this study, the chemical interactions and the evolution of the chemical composition of the water in such a system have been modeled using the geochemical computer code PHREEQE. The parameters considered are the pH, Eh, and the chemical composition in aqueous solution. Mineral formation has been taken into account in some cases. The speciation and solubility of uranium in this system have also been calculated.