Radiation Effects and Radioactive Waste Management
Research Group

Research Activities

Radiation Effects
The research group investigates radiation effects in complex ceramics, including oxides, silicates and phosphates. The radiation damage may be the result of alpha-decay events, ionizing radiation fields, or heavy ion irradiations. We are interested in describing and understanding the processes of defect formation, aggregation and annealing in these phases over a wide range of temperatures (20 to 900 K) and times (seconds to 10^9 years). Most of the work is focused on developing models to describe the radiation-induced periodic-to-aperiodic transition in these complex structures.

Posters:

Selected publications:

  1. Rodney C. Ewing (1994) The metamict state: 1993 - the centennial. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B, 91, 22-29.

  2. L.M. Wang, W.L. Gong, R.C. Ewing and W.J. Weber (1996) On the roles of temperature and interfaces in irradiation and thermally induced solid state amorphization. Materials Research Society Proceedings, vol. 398, 233-238.

  3. W.L. Gong, L.M. Wang, R.C. Ewing and J. Zhang (1996) Electron-irradiation- and ion-beam-induced amorphization of coesite. Physical Review B, 54, 3800-3809.

  4. A. Meldrum, L.M. Wang and R.C. Ewing (1997) Electron-irradiation-induced phase segregation in crystalline and amorphous apatite: A TEM study. American Mineralogist, 82, 858-869.

  5. A. Meldrum, L.A. Boatner, and R.C. Ewing (1997) Electron-irradation-induced nucleartion and growth in amorphous LaPO4, ScPO4 and zircon. Journal of Materials Research, 12, 1816-1827.

  6. S.X. Wang, L.M. Wang and R.C. Ewing (1997) Amorphization of Al2SiO5 polymorphs under ion beam irradation. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B, 127/128, 186-190.

  7. S.X. Wang, L.M. Wang, R.C. Ewing and R.H. Doremus (1997) Ion irradiation-induced amorphization in the Al2O3-SiO2 system: A comparison with glass formation. Journal of Applied Physics, 81, 587-593.

  8. A. Meldrum, L.A. Boatner and R.C. Ewing (1997) Displacive radiation effects in monazite- and zircon-structure orthophosphates. Physical Review B, 56, 13805-13814.

  9. S.X. Wang, L.M. Wang, R.C. Ewing and R.H. Doremus (1998) Ion-beam-induced amorphization in MgO-Al2O3-SiO2. Part I: Experimental and Theoretical Basis, Journal of Noncrystalline Solid, 238 (3), 198-213.

  10. S.X. Wang, L.M. Wang, R.C. Ewing and R.H. Doremus (1998) Ion-beam-induced amorphization in MgO-Al2O3-SiO2. Part II: Empirical Model, Journal of Noncrystalline Solid, 238 (3), 214-224.

  11. L.M. Wang, S.X. Wang, W.L. Gong and R.C. Ewing (1998) Temperature dependence of Kr ion-induced amorphization of mica minerals, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B 141, 501-508.

  12. S.X. Wang, L.M. Wang and R.C. Ewing (1998) Ion irradiation-induced amorphization of CaAlO4, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B 141, 509-513.

  13. L.M. Wang (1998) Application of advanced transmission electron microscopy techniques in the study of radiation effects in insulators, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B 141, 312-325.

  14. L.M. Wang, S.X. Wang and R.C. Ewing (1998) Radiation effects in zeolite: Relevance to near-field containment, Proceedings of the 9th Annual International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference (American Nuclear Society, Las Vegas, NV, May 11-14, 1998), pp. 772-774.

  15. L.M. Wang and R.C. Ewing (1998) Transmission electron microscopy study of radiation effects in materials for nuclear waste disposal, Electron Microscopy 1998, Proceedings of the 14th International Congress on Electron Microscopy (Cancun, Mexico, Aug 31-Sept. 4, 1998), Edited by H.A. Calderón Benavides and M. José Yacamán, Vol. 2, 825-826.

  16. L.M. Wang, S.X. Wang, W.L. Gong, R.C. Ewing and W.J. Weber (1998), Amorphization of ceramic materials by ion beam irradiation, Materials Science & Engineering A 253, 106-113.

  17. W.J. Weber, L.M. Wang, N.Yu and N.J. Hess (1998) Structure and properties of ion-beam-modified (6H) silicon carbide, Materials Science & Engineering A 253, 62-70.

  18. W.L. Gong, L.M. Wang and R.C. Ewing (1998) Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy of irradiation-induced amorphization in a-quartz, Journal of Applied Physics 84 (8), 4204-4208.

  19. L.M. Wang and W.J. Weber (1999) Transmission electron microscopy study of ion-beam-induced amorphization of Ca2La8(SiO4)6O2, Philosophical Magazine A 79 (1), 237-253.

  20. S.X. Wang, L.M. Wang, R.C. Ewing, G.S. Was and G.R. Lumpkin (1999) Ion irradiation-induced phase transformation of pyrochlore and zirconolite, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B 148, 704-709.