Solid State Ionics, Vol.95, No.1-2, 113-119, 1997
Elaboration of an Iodine-Bearing Apatite - Iodine Diffusion into a Pb-3(Vo4)(2) Matrix
In the context of a scientific program on long-lived radionuclide conditioning, a matrix for iodine 129 immobilization has been synthesized and characterized. A lead vanado-iodoapatite Pb-10(VO4)(6)I-2 was prepared from the melt of Pb-3(VO4)(2) and PbI2 in stoichiometric amounts. Iodine is volatile and it is necessary to use a closed system to synthezise the compound. In the context of the iodine conditioning program, iodine contamination must be avoided, and we have developed a method to prepare an iodoapatite without gas release. Lead vanado-iodoapatite was synthezised directly as a core of PbI2 included in an external matrix of Pb-3(VO4)(2) [1]. Otherwise, the thermal behaviour of the ceramic (250 degrees C) was studied by iodine diffusion analysis.