PhD Studentship
Department of Earth Sciences
University of Cambridge
European Commission Framework 7 Research Studentship (salary + fees paid for EC citizens)
The effect of radiation damage on the structure and durability of silicon carbide.
The prevention of radioactive contamination of the biosphere by the products of nuclear fission is a major concern for the nuclear industry and governments holding inventories of surplus or waste nuclear materials. An approach may be taken where the retention of fission products and actinides over the long term (repository lifetimes) is engineered into the nuclear fuel design. Silicon carbide coated nuclear fuels are one of these novel fuels. The project involves a detailed assessment of the radiation stability of the fuel coatings, primarily through the application of novel nuclear magnetic resonance methods[1], but also using X-ray absorption spectroscopy, mechanical analysis and molecular dynamics modelling. The student will be expected to interact extensively with European partners in the Euratom F-Bridge project at the Paul Scherrer Institute (Switzerland), EC JRC Institute for Transuranium Elements, Karlsruhe (Germany), CNRS Orléans (France), CEA Cadarache (France), NRG Petten (Netherlands). The position is suitable for those with first degrees in and earth sciences, materials science, physics, chemistry.
Further information may be obtained form Dr Ian Farnan (ifarnan@esc.cam.ac.uk).
Closing date (July 30th 2008)
[1] Farnan, I., Cho, H. & Weber, W. J. Quantification of actinide α-radiation damage in minerals and ceramics. Nature 445, 190-193 (2007).
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Ian Farnan
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge,
Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK
p:+44 1223 333431 f:+44 1223 333450 e:ifarnan@esc.cam.ac.uk
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