MALDI analysis of estane degradation

SEUMALDI has been successfully used to accurately measure the MW of hydrolysis degradation products from Estane 5703. Reasonable structure assignments have been made to the degradation products and several observations reported. Most of the low MW degradation peaks have been identified as ester hydrolysis fragments. The data suggest that the polyester macrodiol may be shorter than the {approximately}2000 amu reported by the manufacturer. Experiments are ongoing to determine if hydrolysis occurs within the material's applied environment

CORROSION PROCESSES OF AUSTENITIC STAINLESS STEELS AND COPPER-BASED MATERIALS IN GAMMA-IRRADIATED AQUEOUS ENVIRONMENTS %/ltU CORROSION PROCESSES OF AUSTENITIC STAINLESS STEELS AND COPPER-BASED MATERIALS IN GAMMA-IRRADIATED AQUEOUS ENVIRONMENTS 11 *

ABSTRACT The U. S. Department of Energy is evaluating a site located at Yucca Moun tain in Nye County, Nevada, as a poten tial high-level nuclear waste repository. The rock at the proposed repository hori zon (above the water table) is densely welded, devitrified tuff, and the fluid environment in the repository is expected to be primarily air-steam. A more severe environment would be present in the unlikely case of intrusion of vadose groundwater into the repository site. For this repository location, austenitic stainless steels and copper-based mater ials are under consideration for waste container fabrication. This study focu ses on the effects of gamma irradiation on the electrochemical mechanisms of cor rosion for the prospective waste container materials. The radiolytic pro duction of such species as hydrogen per-(^Work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under contract number W-7405-ENG-48. oxide and nitric acid are shown to exert an influence on corrosion mechanisms and kinetics

*i Electrochemical Determination of the Corrosion Behavior of Candidate Alloys Proposed for Containment of High Level Nuclear Haste in Tuff Electrochemical Determination of the Corrosion Behavior of Candidate Alloys Proposed for Containment of High Level

ABSTRACT Long-term geological disposal of nuclear waste requires corrosionresistant 'mister materials for encapsulation. Several austenitic stainless steels are under consideration for such purposes for the disposal of high-levl waste at the candidate repository site located at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Witn regard to corrosion considerations, a worst case scenario at this prospective repository location would result from the intrusion of vadose water. This preliminary study focuses on the electrochemical and corrosion behavior of the candidate canister materials under worst-case repository environments. Electrochemical parameters related ;o localized attack (e.g., pitting potentials) and the electrochemical corrosion rates have been examined