Effect of Background Electrolyte Composition on the Interfacial Formation of Th(IV) Nanoparticles on the Muscovite (001) Basal Plane

Autor: J. Neumann, Canrong Qiu, S. Skanthakumar, Peter J. Eng, L. Soderholm, Moritz Schmidt, Thorsten Stumpf
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Physical Chemistry C 125(2021)30, 16524-16535
Popis: Understanding the impact of actinide nanoparticle (NP) formation is important to assess radionuclide mobility in the environment. We combined Surface X-ray Diffraction (SXRD) and in situ AFM to investigate the previously reported unusual electrolyte effects on Th uptake on mica. At low [Th] (0.1 mM), interfacial structures show a broad Th electron density (~50 Å). A linear decrease of Th uptake with decreasing hydration enthalpy of the electrolyte cation (Li⁺, K⁺, NH₄⁺, Cs⁺) indicates a competitive effect between Th and the electrolyte cation. Na⁺ is a clear outlier from this trend. In situ AFM imaging confirms the results. Particles show a vertical size of ~1 – 2 nm and larger lateral dimensions of ~10 – 20 nm, which is typical for particles formed at interfaces (heterogeneous nucleation). At high [Th] = 1 and 3 mM, all investigated electrolytes (ACl, A = Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺) show similar Th uptake, indicating a much smaller impact of electrolyte composition. The interfacial structures are dominated by a high Th loading at a distinct distance (~6.5 Å) from the surface. Therefore, the main retention mechanism at high [Th] is suggested to be the sorption of Th NPs aggregated from Th oligomers present in solution (homogeneous nucleation).
Databáze: OpenAIRE