Crystal chemistry and application development of uranyl extended structure and nanoscale materials and actinyl ion-substituted mineral phases

The worldwide use of nuclear energy presents both significant advantages and challenges for society. Actinide research seeks to address these challenges and drive advancement in the fields of nuclear science and engineering. Here, key aspects of the fuel cycle are examined from both a fundamental and an applications-based perspective. Hydrothermal, ionothermal, room-temperature evaporation, and liquid diffusion synthesis techniques and single-crystal X-ray diffraction were used to study the structures of 18 uranyl compounds and six actinyl-doped mineral phases. These compounds represent a diverse group ranging from unique molecular clusters to novel and known extended structures isolated from aqueous and ionic liquid media. Ultrafiltration techniques were utilized to separate uranyl peroxide nanoclusters from complex aqueous solutions. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy and mass spectrometry were used to quantify elemental distributions in the feed and permeate solutions while Raman spectroscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering, and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry were used to define the characteristics of the cluster species across a range different solution conditions.