The aqueous corrosion behavior of technetium - Alloy and composite materials

Metal waste forms are under study as possible disposal forms for technetium and other fission products. The alloying of Tc is desirable to reduce the melting point of the Tc-containing metal waste form and potentially improve its corrosion resistance. Technetium-nickel composites were made by mixing the two metal powders and pressing the mixture to make a pellet. The as-pressed composite materials were compared to sintered composites and alloys of identical composition in electrochemical corrosion tests. As-pressed samples were not robust enough for fine polishing and only a limited number of corrosion tests were performed. Alloys and composites with 10 wt% Tc appear to be more corrosion resistant at open circuit than the individual components based on linear polarization resistance and polarization data. The addition of 10 wt% Tc to Ni appears beneficial at open circuit, but detrimental upon anodic polarization. Qualitatively, the polarizations of 10 wt% Tc alloys and composites appear like crude addition of Tc plus Ni. The 1 wt% Tc alloys behave like pure Ni, but some effect of Tc is seen upon polarization. Cathodic polarization of Tc by Ni appears feasible based on open circuit potential measurements, however, zero resistance ammetry and solution measurements are necessary tomore » confirm cathodic protection.« less