Abstract:
To explore the feasibility of laser solidification technology in the treatment of high-level radioactive waste containing molybdenum, a fiber continuous laser was performed on borosilicate glasses with varying MoO
3 contents by employing a fiber continuous laser. The samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy. It was indicated by XRD and SEM analyses that the solid solubility limit of MoO
3 in this borosilicate glass system is approximately 4 wt%. Below this limit, a smooth glass phase was exhibited by the samples. When the MoO
3 content was increased to 5 wt%, CaMoO
4 crystals were precipitated from the samples. It was revealed by Raman analysis that a decrease in the polymerization degree of the borosilicate glass network structure is led to by the introduction of MoO
3, by which a depolymerizing effect is exerted on the glass structure. Additionally, the density of the solidified body was increased from 2.53 g/cm
3 to 2.56 g/cm
3 by the addition of MoO
3, by which the compactness of the glass was enhanced. The potential application of laser technology in the field of nuclear waste glass solidification treatment is verified by this study.