Date of Award
Summer 2025
Document Type
Open Access Dissertation
Department
Chemistry and Biochemistry
First Advisor
Hans-Conrad zur Loye
Abstract
There is a rush of countries around the world making the switch to greener energy sources. Nuclear energy power plants are an integral part of the shift from fossil fuels, but there are concerns over the best way to handle nuclear waste. Most of the nuclear waste is currently disposed of by incorporating the waste into a glass form through vitrification, but research into alternative waste forms, such as promising crystalline materials, could provide a more robust method of containment. Research on actinide materials is lacking due to the dangers of working with radioactive material and there are few labs capable of this type of research, which has led to a deficiency of known compounds containing transuranic elements. In order to circumvent the dangers of radioactive particles, research is often done using surrogate elements that are either nonradioactive or have low radioactivity, but have similar properties to the more radioactive actinides, such as using cerium as a surrogate for plutonium. Research done using surrogates is helpful, but it is important to extend the knowledge gained to the actual actinide elements to study their fundamental properties.
This dissertation focuses on inorganic crystal structures formed with plutonium, neptunium, and americium and the structural properties of those materials. These structures have been synthesized using mild hydrothermal and molten flux techniques. Properties such as ionic radii, oxidation states, preferred coordination environment, and similarities to their surrogate analogs have been gleaned from the study of these structures.
Rights
© 2025, Travis Kelly Deason
Recommended Citation
Deason, T. K.(2025). Synthesis of Inorganic Actinide Compounds with Neptunium, Plutonium, and Americium. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/8486