Аннотация:The paper summarizes the study on external electron irradiation effects produced on the properties and structure of modelled borosilicate glass from the Pilot Demonstration Center for Spent Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing at the Mining and Chemical Combine (PDC MCC). The study showed that the glass structure parameters, amorphousness, density and Vickers hardness remained constant at absorbed doses of 108, 109 and 1010 Gy. Based on SEM/EPMA methods, the study demonstrates that sodium content at the post-irradiation stage tends to decrease in the surface layers of the glass samples to a depth of up to 5 microns considering all irradiation doses. Most significant decrease was observed at a dose of 1010 Gy. As compared with non-irradiated samples, water resistance of the glass exposed to 108 and 109 Gy remained unchanged. However, irradiation at a dose of 1010 Gy resulted in a lower water resistance of the samples potentially driven by their larger surface area interacting with water due to the large number of cracks.
