X-ray diffraction for characterization of materials in nuclear industry

X-ray diffraction (XRD) is a useful and affordable technique for studying various kinds of materials, providing valuable information about their crystal structure and phase composition. Using this technique, we can monitor changes in the structure due to irradiation, which prove useful to study building materials for nuclear reactors or containment materials for radioactive waste enclosure. Information of the changes of phase composition and crystallinity in a material is important, because of what we can conclude about their physical properties, which is especially important in the nuclear industry to ensure the safe operation of the reactors and their components. In this work we present examples of how XRD helps us to “see” the expansion of unit cell on granite after neutron irradiation, changes of the phase composition on the surface of cement-matrices, and corrosion of steel surfaces after years embedded in cement-matrices under water in anaerobic conditions.