Separation of uranium from solid (U,Pu, Ag) oxide analytical waste: effect of batch size and nitric acid molarity

This work presents the investigation of some commercially available and commonly used Si₃N₄ foils prepared with LPCVD technique. The density and the stoichiometry of these films were determined by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy and profilometry, while the study of impurities was achieved with particle induced X-ray emission method. It was found that the density of the studied Si₃N₄ films is significantly less (~2.71 g cm^?3), while the stoichiometry is close to the values of the bulk material. The results were verified by measuring the ion energy loss through the films by scanning transmission ion microscopy.