Chemistry Departmental Seminar — Dr. Peter C. Burns

About the event

Title: Uranium Mineralogy, Nanomaterials, and Nuclear Waste Management

Abstract: Actinides, including uranium, are of unparalleled societal importance. They are the fuels of nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons, are essential for production of many medical isotopes, and are serious environmental contaminants at numerous sites associated with the nuclear fuel cycle or nuclear weapons production. Three hundred minerals containing essential uranium are known. Uranyl (U(VI)) minerals are tremendously chemically and structurally diverse. Inspired by the complexity of uranyl minerals and the structural features of the uranyl peroxide mineral studtite, a class of about 100 self-assembling nanoscale uranyl peroxide cage clusters have been developed. These are excellent model materials for studying structure-size-property relationships as they readily form in water and are highly soluble, exhibit many topologies and sizes, and withstand very high radiation fields. Their potential importance in nuclear waste management, including in recycling nuclear waste, is under study.