Oxidation state and coordination environment of uranium in sodium iron aluminophosphate glasses

Abstract

An analysis of the X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) of uranium determined the oxidation state and coordination environment of uranium atoms in glasses containing 40 mol % Na₂O, 10 mol % Al₂O₃, 10 mol % Fe₂O₃, and 40 mol % P₂O₅ to which uranium oxides were added to a concentration of 50 wt % (above 100%). If the added amount of UO₂ was small, uranium occurred as U(IV) in a near-octahedral oxygen environment with an average U–O distance in the first coordination sphere of 2.25 Å. At higher concentrations of uranium oxides introduced both as UO₂ and as UO₃, uranium occurred as U(V) and U(VI); the first coordination sphere is split; shorter (~1.7–1.8 Å) and longer (2.2–2.3 Å) distances were observed, which corresponded to the axial and equatorial U–O bonds in uranyl ions, respectively; and the redox equilibrium shifted toward U(VI). The glass with the maximal (~33 wt %) UO₃ concentration contained mainly U(VI). The existence of low-valence uranium species can be related to the presence of Fe(II) in glasses. The second coordination sphere of uranium manifests itself only at high concentrations of uranium oxides.