A neutron and synchrotron investigation of the electronic structure of lanthanide zirconates

Abstract

The lanthanide zirconates are of interest for use in inert matrix fuels and nuclear wasteforms. For use in these applications, the material's structure must be resistant to radiation damage and its thermal, thermodynamic and mechanical properties must be known. The structure's ability to incorporate an actinide host into the lattice vacancy must also be known. These properties may be better understood by investigating the f-electronic structure, which has historically proved difficult to model. We have undertaken a synthesis of the full range of lanthanide zirconate series using solid state techniques. We have performed neutron powder diffraction on a selection of the series in conjunction with the following measurements using synchrotron radiation: powder X-ray diffraction, VUV photoluminescence spectra, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES). These results will be presented, along with details of the analysis and synthetic techniques used.