Article: Reports summarize inorganic chemistry study results from R.C. Belin and co-researchers.

"Our works shows that the americium pyrochlore (241)AM(2)Zr(2)O(7) undergoes a phase transition to a defect-fluorite structure along with an unusual volume contraction when subjected to internal radiation from a-emitting actinides. Disorder relaxation proceeds through the simultaneous formation of cation antisites and oxygen Frenkel pairs," investigators in France report.

"X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Am-L-II and the Zr-K edges reveals that Am-O polyhedra show an increasing disorder with increasing exposure. In contrast, the Zr-O polyhedral units remain highly ordered, while rotating along edges and corners, thereby reducing the structural strain imposed ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!