Complexity in nuclear materials - p245

doi:10.1038/nmat4234

In the nuclear industry, safety considerations rely on our ability to understand and control the behaviour of the relevant materials over a range of length and time scales.

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Predicting material release during a nuclear reactor accident - pp247–252

Rudy J. M. Konings, Thierry Wiss & Ondrej Beneš

doi:10.1038/nmat4224

In the aftermath of a nuclear reactor accident, understanding the release of fission products from the fuel is key.

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Long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel - pp252–257

Rodney C. Ewing

doi:10.1038/nmat4226

To design reliable and safe geological repositories it is critical to understand how the characteristics of spent nuclear fuel evolve with time, and how this affects the storage environment.

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Nuclear materials in Japan - p258–259

Interview with Tatsuo Shikama

doi:10.1038/nmat4217

The incident at Fukushima Daiichi brought materials in the nuclear industry into the spotlight. Nature Materials talks to Tatsuo Shikama, Director of the International Research Centre for Nuclear Materials, Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, about the current situation.

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Glass corrosion: Sharpened interface - pp261–262

Andrew Putnis

doi:10.1038/nmat4198

The finding of a sharp interface between a chemically attacked surface and the pristine bulk in a borosilicate glass is at odds with the widely held diffusion-based mechanisms of glass durability.

Full text - Glass corrosion: Sharpened interface | PDF (420 KB) - Glass corrosion: Sharpened interface

See also: Letter by Hellmann et al.

Nanometre-scale evidence for interfacial dissolution–reprecipitation control of silicate glass corrosion - pp307–311

Roland Hellmann, Stéphane Cotte, Emmanuel Cadel, Sairam Malladi, Lisa S. Karlsson, Sergio Lozano-Perez, Martiane Cabié & Antoine Seyeux

doi:10.1038/nmat4172

The usual model of glass corrosion is based on diffusion-coupled hydration and selective cation release. A novel corrosion mechanism now suggests that interfacial dissolution–reprecipitation may be a universal process that controls both silicate glass corrosion and mineral weathering.

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See also: News and Views by Putnis