First principles simulation of cement for nuclear waste disposal

The current plan for nuclear industry is to dispose of wastes within a deep underground facility and to use cement to immobilise many of these waste forms. However, there is a lack of understanding regarding the true structure of cement as well as the properties of cement-like materials under the effects of radiation.<br><br>We demonstrate that the nanoscale structure of calcium silicate hydrate does not notably influence the structure of the defects that form when cement interacts with ionizing radiation.

In particular, we show that electrons locate in the water- and calcium-rich interlayer region, where they may act as precursors to radicals and H2 gas. Holes, on the other hand, appear to be benign. The holes point into the intralayer region where they are unlikely to further react.<br><br>We then utilize thermodynamic integration to study the thermochemistry associated with reactions that involve replacing atoms in cement with those of interest to the nuclear industry.