Hydration effects on the structural and vibrational properties of yttrium aluminosilicate glasses for in situ...

The performances of silicate glasses as containment matrices or vectors of radioactive ions in nuclear waste storage and in situ radiotherapy are influenced by the effect of interstitial water on the glass durability. In order to assess how hydration determines changes to atomistic structural features which control the glass degradation, we have carried out molecular dynamics simulations of a typical yttrium aluminosilicate (YAS) glass employed in radiotherapy, incorporating different water contents. The analysis of the models allows us to discuss the way in which hydroxyl groups are distributed in the glass structure and modify or disrupt the aluminosilicate glass network. Hydration affects the silicate and aluminate connectivity to a different extent, resulting in a different degree of disruption (depolymerization) of the Si and Al network. The simulations also highlight a strong tendency of all hydrated compositions to form Y(3+)- and OH(-)-rich domains, separated from the aluminosilicate matrix. The implications of these structural effects for the durability and ion release behavior of the glass are discussed, as well as the vibrational signatures of the various hydrous species identified in the models.