Development of New Generation of Durable Radio-luminescence Emitters based on Actinide-doped Crystals

Development of actinide-doped materials with matrices that are chemically inert and resistant to radiation damage may significantly change the approaches to actinide immobilization. Durable crystalline actinide host phases would be considered as advanced materials which are prospective for safe use of actinides before their final disposal. One of prospective applications of such materials is fabrication of radio-luminescence emitters with extremely durable matrices based on self-glowing crystals. Single crystals of zircon, monazite and xenotime doped with different amount of luminescence ions such as Tb, Eu and actinides such as 239Pu, 238Pu, 241Am, 237Np have been grown using flux method. Non-radioactive crystals were studied first using cathodoluminescence method in order to identify optimal contents of Tb3+and Eu3+, which provide the highest intensity of luminescence emission. Then radioactive self-glowing crystals doped with the same content of luminescence ion and small admixture of actinide were grown. It was suggested that content of 238Pu and 241Am in self-glowing crystals should not exceed 0.1 wt. %. Intensively glowing crystals of zircon, xenotime and monazite were successfully obtained and studied. Principal features of these crystals are discussed.