High resolution Magic Angle Spinning Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility for Actinides-bearing compounds

Abstract

Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) using Magic Angle Spinning (MAS) is a very powerful analytical method as it is sensitive to short-range and atomic scale structure. Moreover, this technique allows the study of amorphous samples, and minor crystalline phases, sometimes beyond detection limits of X-ray diffraction (XRD). In 2007, Ian Farnan, Herman Cho and William J. Weber, at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), caused a stir in the actinide community with their MAS-NMR investigation of a-irradiation damage in natural and 238/239Pu-doped zircons (ZrSiO4). At the Joint Research Centre's (JRC) Institute for Transuranium Elements (ITU), we were immediately enthusiastic about this breakthrough and sought to establish a similar facility in Europe. In this publication, we will give an overview about the new and unique NMR spectrometer with an active glovebox allowing to perform MAS experiments at very high-spinning speed on highly radioactive compounds. Some of the first and very promising results will also be presented.JRC.E.4-Nuclear fuel