Shedding Light on the Enigmatic TcO₂  ⋅ xH₂ O Structure with Density Functional Theory and EXAFS Spectroscopy

The β-emitting ⁹⁹ Tc isotope is a high-yield fission product in ²³⁵ U and ²³⁹ Pu nuclear reactors, raising special concern in nuclear waste management due to its long half-life and the high mobility of pertechnetate (TcO₄ ^- ). Under the conditions of deep nuclear waste repositories, Tc is retained through biotic and abiotic reduction of TcO₄ ^- to compounds like amorphous TcO₂  ⋅ xH₂ O precipitates. It is generally accepted that these precipitates have linear (Tc(μ-O)₂ (H₂ O)₂ )_n chains, with trans H₂ O. Although corresponding Tc-Tc and Tc-O distances have been obtained from extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy, this structure is largely based on analogy with other compounds. Here, we combine density-functional theory with EXAFS measurements of fresh and aged samples to show that, instead, TcO₂  ⋅ xH₂ O forms zigzag chains that undergo a slow aging process whereby they combine to form longer chains and, later, a tridimensional structure that might lead to a new TcO₂ polymorph.