Nuclear Materials

Materials in the nuclear industry are often exposed to extreme conditions, including high temperatures and long term damage by irradiation. Developing materials capable of withstanding these challending environments requires an indepth understanding of the radiation damage processes and material's properties. The UCL Nuclear Centre is a world leading centre for the study of radiation effects in materials, employing state of the art simulation techniques to predict the atomic scale response of materias to irradiation.

Designing materials to help deal with our nuclear legacy is a major theme of the Nuclear Centre. Our researchers are exploring new materials such as hybrid polymeric materials for radiation protection and advanced silicate glasses for the long term stroage of nuclear waste. Understanding the structure and reacitivty of these complex materials (see image below) allows us to plan for a safer nuclear future.

Current projects include

• Modelling structural modifications by electronic excitations in band gap materials
• Heavy metal ions in multicomponent glasses: The local atomic structure and mechanism of charge compensation
• Modelling the nucleation of fission product aerosols in consequence analysis
• Simulation of hybrid polymeric materials for radiation protection
• Modelling of catalytic hydrogen getters

Academic staff

Research staff

PhD students