Fig. 2: Summary of rates and mechanisms of glass dissolution.
From: Forty years of durability assessment of nuclear waste glass by standard methods
a Glass dissolution described as three stages. Stage 1 (characterised by interdiffusion, ion exchange and hydrolysis of the silicate network), stage 2 (characterised by the diffusion of elements through a gel layer and secondary phase crystallisation), and stage 3, (a potential rate increase driven by silicate mineral precipitation). b simplified diagram summarising the key processes that occur in borosilicate glass dissolution Note that exact speciation of metal ions in solution will be controlled by pH, for example, Si4+ may be H2SiO42−/H3SiO4–/H4SiO4.
