Displacement cascades in Gd2Ti2O7 and Gd2Zr2O7: a molecular dynamics study

We report molecular dynamics simulations of the production of radiation cascades in two pyrochlore compounds that have been proposed as possible materials for high level radioactive waste storage. There are clear differences between the two systems that support the results of recent high energy ion bombardment experiments, in which pyrochlores were increasingly radiation resistant with increasing Zr content.