화학공학소재연구정보센터
Inorganic Chemistry, Vol.46, No.24, 10372-10382, 2007
Solid-state synthesis of monazite-type compounds containing tetravalent elements
On the basis of optimized grinding/heating cycles developed for several phosphate-based ceramics, the preparation of brabantite and then monazite/brabantite solid solutions loaded with tetravalent thorium, uranium, and cerium (as a plutonium surrogate) was examined versus the heating temperature. The chemical reactions and transformations occurring when heating the initial mixtures of AnO(2)/CeO2, CaHPO4 center dot 2H(2)O (or CaO), and NH4H2PO4 were identified through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis experiments. The incorporation of thorium, which presents only one stabilized oxidation state, occurs at 1100 degrees C. At this temperature, all the thorium-brabantite samples appear to be pure and single phase as suggested by XRD, electron probe microanalyses, and mu-Raman spectroscopy. By the same method, tetravalent uranium can be also stabilized in uranium-brabantite, i.e., Ca0.5U0.5O4, after heating at 1200 degrees C. Both brabantites, Ca0.5Th0.5PO4 and Ca0.5U0.5PO4,, begin to decompose when increasing the temperature to 1400 and 1300 degrees C, respectively, leading to a mixture of CaO and AnO(2) by the volatilization of P4O10. In contrast to the cases of thorium and uranium, cerium(IV) is not stabilized during the heating treatment at high temperature. Indeed, the formation of Ca0.5Ce0.5PO4 appears impossible, due to the partial reduction of cerium(IV) into cerium(III) above 840 degrees C. Consequently, the systems always appear polyphase, with compositions of (Ce1-2xCexCaxPO4)-Ce-III-Ca-Iv and Ca2P2O7. The same conclusionban be also given when discussing the incorporation of cerium(IV) into La(1-2x)Ce(III)x-yCe(y)(Iv)Ca(y)(PO4)(1-x+y). This incomplete incorporation of cerium(IV) confirms the results obtained when trying to stabilize tetravalent plutonium in (Ca0.5Pu0.5PO4)-P-IV samples.