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: |
Materials science
Muscovite nucleation surface X-ray diffraction Nanoparticle RAXR engineering.material Surfaces Coatings and Films Electronic Optical and Magnetic Materials thorium General Energy Chemical engineering engineering Basal plane SXRD nanoparticles Physical and Theoretical Chemistry AFM Electrolyte composition CTR |
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 |
Externí odkaz: |