Two-dimensional Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering on a Cm-doped borosilicate glass in a beryllium container

The two-dimensional wide-angle X-ray diffraction technique was applied to a Cm-doped borosilicate glass in a beryllium container. The experiment involved a high-energy X-ray beam and an image plate. It is shown that it is possible to extract the structure factor of the radioactive glass successfully from diffraction patterns and compare it with that of the pristine one. Striking differences appear under the first diffraction peak, revealing new sub-structures for the radioactive glass. It is suggested that they could be related to structural changes in the medium-range order, in particular the size distribution of rings or chains under the influence of mixed interactions between the glass network, [alpha]-particles and recoil nuclei.