Coupling effects of temperature and irradiation on the leaching behavior of borosilicate glasses

Borosilicate glass has been recognized as the primary material for solidifying high-level radioactive waste. The performance stability of borosilicate glass during prolonged storage and handling necessitates rigorous examination. This work irradiated two kinds of borosilicate glasses, ternary sodium borosilicate and quaternary zirconium borosilicate glass, using 5 MeV Xe²⁰⁺ ions. Leaching experiments were performed on pristine and irradiated samples employing the MCC-1 static leaching method across a temperature range of 50–90°C, with increments of 10°C. Advanced analytical techniques were used to characterize the leached samples and the leaching solution, including Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, and Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry. The findings elucidate the leaching kinetics of the primary elements in borosilicate glass, both pristine and following irradiation. Further, quantify the acceleration factor attributed to temperature and irradiation on the leaching behavior of simple borosilicate glass. The apparent activation energy of boron in pristine and irradiated glass was also determined by the Arrhenius equation, and the apparent activation energy exhibited a slight increase following irradiation. These results shed light on the leaching characteristics of borosilicate glass under the synergistic conditions of elevated temperature and irradiation. This comprehensive analysis offers valuable insights for optimizing glass compositions and guides leaching experiments on nuclear waste glass.