SYNTHESIS AND PERFORMANCE OF FE-BASED AMORPHOUS ALLOYS FOR NUCLEAR WASTE REPOSITORY APPLICATIONS

In several Fe-based alloy systems it is possible to produce glasses with cooling rates as low as 100 K/s that exhibit outstanding corrosion resistance compared to typical crystalline alloys such as high-performance stainless steels and Ni-based C-22 alloy. Moreover, novel alloy compositions can be synthesized to maximize corrosion resistance (i.e. adding Cr and Mo) and to improve radiation compatibility (adding B) and still maintain glass forming ability. The applicability of Fe-based amorphous coatings in typical environments where corrosion resistance and thermal stability are critical issues has been examined in terms of amorphous phase stability and glass-forming ability through a coordinated computational analysis and experimental validation. Similarly, a novel computational thermodynamics approach has been developed to explore the compositional sensitivity of glass-forming ability and thermal stability. Also, the synthesis and characterization of alloys with increased cross-section for thermal neutron capture will be outlined to demonstrate that through careful design of alloy composition it is possible to tailor the material properties of the thermally spray-formed amorphous coating to accommodate the challenges anticipated in typical nuclear waste storage applications over tens of thousands of years in a variety of corrosive environments