Although uranyl peroxide cage clusters have been studied extensively since their discovery in 2005, there has been limited research on their behavior in high ionizing radiation fields. Conditions favorable for uranyl peroxide cluster formation exist in high radiation environments. It is imperative to investigate how these materials change when exposed to doses of ionizing radiation in the MGy range. A tandem Van de Graaff particle accelerator was used to generate 5 MeV He2+-ions to simulate alpha particles, where doses of up to 50 MGy have been achieved. Both pristine and irradiated Li28[UO2(O2)1.5]28 (Li-U28) and Li24[UO2O2OH]24 (Li-U24) cage clusters in the solid state were characterized using Raman, infrared, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to describe alteration within the material. Irradiated clusters exhibit amorphization due to broadening of spectroscopic features, and new signals in the IR spectra indicate evidence for carbonate formation.

Investigating the degradation of uranyl peroxide clusters under ionizing radiation

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ACS Fall 2022

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