Selective Fixation and Surface Decontamination of Metal Ions Using Polymer Gel Containing Thenoyl Trifluoroacetone (TTA) Ligand

The decontamination and decommissioning of nuclear facilities has become a subject of great importance because of the large number of facilities that will have to be retired from service in the near future in many states.

Effective surface decontamination is very difficult to achieve due to the contaminant location within the material, which can be trapped in pores and cracks, therefore making removal more challenging.

Although diluted acids or detergents could be used for surface decontamination, such methods create large amounts of secondary liquid radioactive waste, which requires complicated treatment procedures before storage and final disposal.

Strippable coatings is a low cost and efficient decontamination method far more compatible for the cleaning of surfaces. This method allows for better pore and crack infiltration, contaminant entrapment and removal. It is also characterized by low-secondary waste generation after decontamination and compatibility with different types of surfaces (metal, polymer, glass and wood).

The present work deals with the elaboration and testing of a new composition for the polymeric solution employed as a strippable coating for the selective removal of metal ions from contaminated surfaces using the TTA (Thenoyl trifluoroacetone) ligand, a well-known derivative of β–diketone for the complexation of metal ions.

Viscosity and rheology measurements, evaporation rate tests, luminescence studies, FT-IR and tensile tests were performed for the optimization of the decontamination solution composition. For selective chemical complexation we choose the Europium lanthanide ion (Eu⁺³) because of its highly luminescent complexes known with β– diketonates ligands.