Radiation Resistance And Hydrolytic Stability Of Y0.95gd0.05po4-Based Ceramics With The Xenotime Structure

The Y0.95Gd0.05PO4 phosphate with the xenotime structure has been synthesized in powder form and as ceramics. Ceramics with a relative density of similar to 99% have been produced by spark plasma sintering. The sintering temperature was 1140 degrees C and the sintering time was similar to 18 min, without isothermal holding. We have assessed the radiation resistance of the ceramics under irradiation with Xe-132(26+) ions and investigated the restoration of the obtained metamict phase to a crystalline one via high-temperature heat treatment. No complete amorphization of the samples has been reached at the fluences used in this study. The calculated critical fluence is (9.2 +/- 0.1) x 10(14) cm(-2), and the calculated latent track radius is similar to 2.8 nm. Hydrolytic tests have shown that the phosphate under study is stable in water under dynamic conditions. The observed Y and Gd leaching rates were R-i = 1.68 x 10(-6) and 1.5 x 10(-7) g/(cm(2) day), respectively.