The impact of alpha radiation on cements used to encapsulate intermediate-level waste (ILW) is not well understood. ILW wastes can contain high levels of alpha-emitting radionuclides, meaning that the grouts used to encapsulate them are exposed to significant ionising radiation. Thus, a damaged region could develop in the grout adjacent to the alpha-emitting species. This work attempted to recreate this behaviour through nonradioactive ⁴He²⁺ ion-accelerator experiments, which have not previously been applied to common encapsulation grouts. The influence of this irradiation on a slag-Portland cement was investigated at different ages via transmission electron microscopy energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (TEM-EDX) and supporting techniques, to assess whether ⁴He²⁺ irradiation caused textural or chemical zonation. No significant changes in hydrate phases or textures were observed, other than minor variations associated with carbonation. This paper provides a proof of concept for using ion acceleration techniques on cements and furthers knowledge on their radiation response.

α 辐射对用于封装中放废物 (ILW) 的水泥的影响尚不清楚。ILW 废物可能含有高水平的 α 发射放射性核素，这意味着用于封装它们的灌浆暴露于显着的电离辐射下。因此，受损区域可能会在与发射 α 的物质相邻的灌浆中形成。这项工作试图通过非放射性⁴ He ²⁺离子加速器实验重现这种行为，这些实验以前没有应用于常见的封装灌浆。通过透射电子显微镜能量色散 X 射线光谱 (TEM-EDX) 和支持技术研究了这种辐照对矿渣-波特兰水泥在不同年龄的影响，以评估是否⁴He ²⁺辐照引起结构或化学分区。除了与碳酸化相关的微小变化外，没有观察到水合物相或质地的显着变化。本文提供了在水泥上使用离子加速技术的概念证明，并进一步了解了它们的辐射响应。