Synchrotron radiation analysis of microparticles from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station.

ABSTRACT: In March 2011, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) suffered reactor core overheating and fuel melting following the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, producing complex microparticles from vaporized and rapidly solidified nuclear and structural materials. The chemical states and local structures of key elements in these particles, particularly uranium and plutonium, remain poorly constrained. Here, we present the synchrotron-based micro-focused X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) study of microparticles recovered from inside Unit 2 of FDNPS. The particles contain uranium, zirconium, and trace plutonium uniformly incorporated into chemically homogeneous oxide matrices. Two types were identified: uranium-rich particles with cubic UO_2<

SUBMITTER: Kobayashi T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12783107 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature