Structural study of strontium-containing iron-phosphate glasses for radioactive waste vitrification.

Iron-phosphate glasses are a wide group of materials with a wide range of applications. Among others, they are promising materials in toxic waste vitrification because of their high chemical durability and relatively low processing temperature and time. They are a novel group of glasses that are considered in the vitrification of radioactive waste, especially those that cannot be treated using conventional borosilicate ones.

Structural properties of iron-phosphate glasses: spectroscopic studies and ab initio simulations.

Vitrification is the most effective method for the immobilization of hazardous waste by incorporating toxic elements into a glass structure. Iron phosphate glasses are presently being considered as matrices for the storage of radioactive waste, even of those which cannot be vitrified using conventional borosilicate waste glass. In this study, a structural model of 60P2O5-40Fe2O3 glass is proposed.