Peter A. Rock Thermochemistry Laboratory and Nanomaterials in the Environment, Agriculture and Technology Organized Research Unit, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Feb 7;109(6):1874-7. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1119758109. Epub 2012 Jan 23.
The Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear accident brought together compromised irradiated fuel and large amounts of seawater in a high radiation field. Based on newly acquired thermochemical data for a series of uranyl peroxide compounds containing charge-balancing alkali cations, here we show that nanoscale cage clusters containing as many as 60 uranyl ions, bonded through peroxide and hydroxide bridges, are likely to form in solution or as precipitates under such conditions. These species will enhance the corrosion of the damaged fuel and, being thermodynamically stable and kinetically persistent in the absence of peroxide, they can potentially transport uranium over long distances.
福岛第一核电站核事故使受损的辐照燃料与大量海水聚集在一个高辐射场中。基于一系列含有平衡电荷的碱金属阳离子的过氧化铀化合物的新获得的热化学数据，我们在这里表明，在这种条件下，可能会在溶液中或作为沉淀物形成含有多达 60 个通过过氧化物和氢氧化物桥键结合的铀离子的纳米笼状簇。这些物种将加剧受损燃料的腐蚀，而且由于它们在没有过氧化物的情况下热力学稳定且动力学持久，它们有可能在长距离内输送铀。
