Host: The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers
Name : The 30th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE30)
Date : May 21, 2023 - May 26, 2023
In nature, each element corresponds to multiple isotopes. Different isotopes have the same arrangement of extranuclear electrons, and thus they are supposed to have the same chemical properties. Obviously, isotopes cannot be separated by chemical methods. However, there are still differences between isotopes. The isotope effect can be defined as the difference of various isotopes on chemical equilibrium, chemical reaction rates, and extranuclear electron energy levels. It reveals the effects on the behavior of atoms due to the mass and volume effects of the nucleus, but does not involve the effects caused by the radioactivity of the nucleus. For radionuclides, radioactive decay leads to ionization or excitation of daughter atoms, which in turn may arise the rupture or formation of chemical bonds. In this paper, by focusing on β decay, we explained the mechanism of the atomic-level changes caused by self-decay, and briefly summarized the unique behaviors of radionuclides in four cases: diffusion, adsorption, bond rupture and oxidation, respectively. A possible application of the β-decay in adsorption and diffusion process and synthesizing new crystalline compounds has been discussed. Current research can shed a light on the further study of the self-decay effect of radionuclides.
