Crystal structure of the ternary Zr-Eu-U alloy

Identifying suitable alloys and naturally occurring minerals and rocks, such as calcite and barite, to immobilize
actinides in a stable configuration is central to current research on final disposal. The aim of the experiment is
to investigate maximum uptake of uranium in a zirconium-europium alloy. Using the sol-gel process, we have
successfully synthesized homogeneous mixed-element samples. Previous preliminary tests on synthetic alloys
of equal parts zirconium, europium, and uranium at the ROBL-20 beamline demonstrated complete
incorporation of uranium into a cubic zirconia (ZrO₂) crystal lattice, which is a huge development in research
for final disposal. This is to be extended to open the complete ternary phase diagram.