Thermal characterization of iron phosphate glasses for nuclear waste disposal

This paper reports on the thermal properties of iron phosphate glasses with the following wt.% composition: 40Fe(2)O(3)-60P(2)O(5). Such glasses are currently being investigated for nuclear waste disposal. Open photoacoustic cell (OPC) and heat capacity techniques were performed to determine thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity and heat capacity of the glasses. Results were compared with borosilicate glass where OPC and Thermal lens where performed. Moreover, the present paper demonstrates the semiconducting-like behavior of iron phosphate glasses. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.