Professor Claire Corkhill

PhD Mineralogy and biogeochemistry, MEarthSci Geology (Honours)

Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Chair in Nuclear Material Degradation and EPSRC Early Career Research Fellow and Reader

c.corkhill@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 3632

Sir Robert Hadfield Building

Full contact details

Professor Claire Corkhill
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Sir Robert Hadfield Building
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD

Profile

Claire holds a Chair in nuclear material degradation, working in the Immobilisation Science Laboratory at the University of Sheffield. With a PhD in Geology and research experience in mineral and material dissolution, her research focuses on understanding the long-term evolution of radioactive waste material in disposal environments.

As a member of the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management, she provides independent advice to, and scrutiny of, the UK government's radioactive waste management and disposal policies and practices.

Research interests

The UK has a significant inventory of nuclear waste (650,000 cubic metres - enough to fill Wembley Stadium), that will be radioactive for over 100,000 years. For this reason, it is necessary to dispose of the waste safely in a final disposal facility, several hundreds of meters below the ground, which is carefully designed to reduce the likelihood of radioactive substances escaping to the environment. It uses a multi-barrier concept, where several layers of containment made from a number of different materials prevent groundwater reaching the waste, preventing the leaching of radioactive substances into the host rock. This concept is called the Engineered Barrier.

Claire’s research focuses on understanding and improving the safety functions of this Engineered Barrier. She is interested in understanding how quickly the waste is likely to dissolve if it comes into contact with groundwater, and also how the backfill material helps to prevent the release and transport of radioactive substances to the host rock. Understanding these processes is critical to developing a safe disposal facility, and will also help the design of new, improved materials for the Engineered Barrier.

Claire is currently working in four major areas, which are as follows:

Grain boundaries:
Effect of defect chemistry and microstructure on the corrosion of UO2 fuel and Pu-containing materials. Claire’s research team are exploring the role of ceramic and glass/ceramic microstructures on the dissolution kinetics and mechanisms of UO2 and Pu-containing materials, through the study of surface chemistry and the application of in-situ dissolution imaging techniques. One recent focus has been to understand the secondary phase formation on fuel debris from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, in support of fuel retrieval operations.

Glass:
State-of-the-art determination of nuclear waste glass durability in sub-surface environments. The role of different geochemical conditions on the dissolution kinetics of a range of simulant nuclear waste glasses are investigated, in particular, hyper-alkaline conditions.

Cement radionuclide interactions:
High-resolution spectroscopic determination of radionuclide – cement interactions. Through the application of sophisticated spatially-resolved synchrotron X-ray techniques, solid-state NMR and thermodynamic modelling, Claire’s team is developing kinetic models of radionuclide-cement interactions in geological disposal environments. Claire is leading the world’s first long-duration x-ray synchrotron experiment in collaboration with Diamond Light Source, to understand the long-term behaviour of cement over thousands of years.

Plutonium wasteform degradation:
Upon the completion of nuclear fuel reprocessing in the UK, there will be approximately 135 teHM (tonnes-equivalent-heavy-metal) of separated PuO₂, stored as a zero value asset at the Sellafield site. One option currently under consideration for the long-term management of this material is disposal in a geological disposal facility. Claire’s team are developing titanate ceramic wasteforms and “disposal-MOX” materials as plutonium immobilisation matrices, and are evaluating their degradation by radiation and aqueous media relevant to disposal scenarios.

Current projects

Critical Analysis of Spent Fuel Structure in Radionuclide Release (EPSRC ECR Fellowship)
Long-term Evolution of Candidate Plutonium Wasteforms (Radioactive Waste Management Limited)
PLEIADES (Platform for Long-term Experimental Investigation of Alteration in Disposal Environments and Storage) Facility: Part of the UK National Nuclear User Facility (EPSRC)
HADES (High Active Decommissioning Engineering and Science) Facility Part of the UK National Nuclear User Facility (EPSRC)
Transcend: Transformative Science and Engineering for Decommissioning Research (EPSRC/ Radioactive Waste Management Limited)
ATLANTIC: Accident ToLerANT fuels In reCylcing (EPSRC)
Project GLAD: Glass Leaching Assessment for Durability (US Department of Energy, Office of River Protection)
PREDIS: The pre-disposal management of radioactive waste (EU H2020)
Isolation of ¹⁴C species from spent ion exchange resins and their stabilisation, a joint UK-Korea project (EPSRC)
Next Generation Nuclear and GREEN Centres for Doctoral Training (EPSRC)

Publications

Journal articles

Yorkshire AS, Stennett MC, Walkley B, O'Sullivan SE, Mottram LM, Bailey DJ, Provis JL, Hyatt NC & Corkhill CL (2022) Spectroscopic evaluation of UVI–cement mineral interactions: ettringite and hydrotalcite. Journal of Synchrotron Radiation, 29(1).
Seddon-Ferretti ME, Mottram LM, Stennett MC, Corkhill CL & Hyatt NC (2022) HERMES – a GUI-based software tool for pre-processing of X-ray absorption spectroscopy data from laboratory Rowland circle spectrometers. Journal of Synchrotron Radiation, 29(1), 276-279. View this article in WRRO
Walling SA, Um W, Corkhill CL & Hyatt NC (2021) Fenton and Fenton-like wet oxidation for degradation and destruction of organic radioactive wastes. npj Materials Degradation, 5(1).
Thorpe CL, Neeway JJ, Pearce CI, Hand RJ, Fisher AJ, Walling SA, Hyatt NC, Kruger AA, Schweiger M, Kosson DS , Arendt CL et al (2021) Forty years of durability assessment of nuclear waste glass by standard methods. npj Materials Degradation, 5(1).
Nava-Farias L, Neeway JJ, Schweiger MJ, Marcial J, Canfield NL, Pearce CI, Peeler DK, Vicenzi EP, Kosson DS, Delapp RC , McCloy JS et al (2021) Applying laboratory methods for durability assessment of vitrified material to archaeological samples. npj Materials Degradation, 5(1). View this article in WRRO
Ding H, Dixon Wilkins MC, Mottram LM, Blackburn LR, Grolimund D, Tappero R, Nicholas SL, Sun S, Corkhill CL & Hyatt NC (2021) Chemical state mapping of simulant Chernobyl lava-like fuel containing material using micro-focused synchrotron X-ray spectroscopy. Journal of Synchrotron Radiation, 28(6). View this article in WRRO
Hemer KA, Booth TJ, Raffone C, Mann C, Corkhill CL & Willmott H (2021) ‘Among his fellows cast’ : a histotaphonomic investigation into the impact of the Black Death in England. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 39. View this article in WRRO
Birch SMI, Bates J, Bell M, Christofidou KA, Corkhill CL, Hearnden V, Lopez EA, Mason LC, Southworth A & Dean JS (2021) Bending bad—testing caramel wafer bars (#TestATunnocks). Physics Education, 56(5), 055002-055002.
Walling SA, Gardner LJ, Pang HKC, Mann C, Corkhill CL, Mikusova A, Lichvar P & Hyatt NC (2021) Characterisation and Durability of a Vitrified Wasteform for Simulated Chrompik III Waste. Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT), 19(3), 339-352.
Zhong M-X, Walkley B, Bailey DJ, Blackburn LR, Ding H, Wang S-Q, Bao W-C, Gardner LJ, Sun S-K, Stennett MC , Corkhill CL et al (2021) Synthesis of Ca1-xCexZrTi2-2xAl2xO7 zirconolite ceramics for plutonium disposition. Journal of Nuclear Materials, 556, 153198-153198.
Blackburn LR, Bailey DJ, Sun SK, Gardner LJ, Stennett MC, Corkhill CL & Hyatt NC (2021) Review of zirconolite crystal chemistry and aqueous durability. Advances in Applied Ceramics.
Gardner LJ, Corkhill CL, Walling SA, Vigor JE, Murray CA, Tang CC, Provis JL & Hyatt NC (2021) Early age hydration and application of blended magnesium potassium phosphate cements for reduced corrosion of reactive metals. Cement and Concrete Research, 143, 106375-106375.
Austin DA, Cole M, Stennett MC, Corkhill CL & Hyatt NC (2021) A preliminary investigation of the molten salt mediated synthesis of Gd2TiO5 ‘stuffed’ pyrochlore. MRS Advances, 6(4-5), 149-153.
Blackburn LR, Cole MR, Gardner LJ, Bailey DJ, Kuman M, Mason AR, Sun S-K, Maddrell ER, Stennett MC, Corkhill CL & Hyatt NC (2021) Synthesis and characterisation of HIP Ca0.80Ce0.20ZrTi1.60Cr0.40O7 zirconolite and observations of the ceramic–canister interface. MRS Advances, 1-7.
Barlow ST, Fisher AJ, Bailey DJ, Blackburn LR, Stennett MC, Hand RJ, Morgan SP, Hyatt NC & Corkhill CL (2021) Thermal treatment of nuclear fuel-containing Magnox sludge radioactive waste. Journal of Nuclear Materials.
Gardner LJ, Walling SA, Corkhill CL, Bernal SA, Lejeune V, Stennett MC, Provis JL & Hyatt NC (2021) Temperature transformation of blended magnesium potassium phosphate cement binders. Cement and Concrete Research, 141, 106332-106332.
Paraskevoulakos C, Forna-Kreutzer JP, Hallam KR, Jones CP, Scott TB, Gausse C, Bailey DJ, Simpson CA, Liu D, Reinhard C , Corkhill CL et al (2021) Investigating the microstructure and mechanical behaviour of simulant “lava-like” fuel containing materials from the Chernobyl reactor unit 4 meltdown. Materials & Design, 201.
Gardner LJ, Walling SA, Corkhill CL & Hyatt NC (2021) Thermal treatment of Cs-exchanged chabazite by hot isostatic pressing to support decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Journal of Hazardous Materials. View this article in WRRO
Walling SA, Kauffmann MN, Gardner LJ, Bailey DJ, Stennett MC, Corkhill CL & Hyatt NC (2021) Characterisation and disposability assessment of multi-waste stream in-container vitrified products for higher activity radioactive waste. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 401. View this article in WRRO
Weber MH, Karcher S, Mohun R, Corkhill C & McCloy J (2021) Assessment of positrons for defect studies in CeO2 materials. MRS Advances.
Blackburn LR, Sun S, Gardner LJ, Maddrell ER, Stennett MC, Corkhill CL & Hyatt NC (2020) Synthesis, structure and characterisation of the thorium zirconolite CaZr1‐xThxTi2O7 system. Journal of the American Ceramic Society. View this article in WRRO
Johnstone EV, Bailey DJ, Lawson S, Stennett MC, Corkhill CL, Kim M, Heo J, Matsumura D & Hyatt NC (2020) Synthesis and characterization of iodovanadinite using PdI2, an iodine source for the immobilisation of radioiodine. RSC Advances, 10(42), 25116-25124. View this article in WRRO
Fisher AJ, Imran MNB, Mann C, Gausse C, Hand RJ, Hyatt NC & Corkhill CL (2020) Short communication : the dissolution of UK simulant vitrified high-level-waste in groundwater solutions. Journal of Nuclear Materials. View this article in WRRO
Blackburn LR, Sun S-K, Lawson SM, Gardner LJ, Ding H, Corkhill CL, Maddrell ER, Stennett MC & Hyatt NC (2020) Synthesis and characterisation of Ca1-xCexZrTi2-2xCr2xO7: Analogue zirconolite wasteform for the immobilisation of stockpiled UK plutonium. Journal of the European Ceramic Society. View this article in WRRO
Bailey DJ, Stennett MC, Sun SK, Gardner LJ, Walling SA, Corkhill CL, Ravel B & Hyatt NC (2020) Ce and U speciation in wasteforms for thermal treatment of plutonium bearing wastes, probed by L3 edge XANES. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 818. View this article in WRRO
Vasconcelos RGW, Walkley B, Day S, Tang CC, Paraskevoulakos H, Gardner LJ & Corkhill CL (2020) 18-month hydration of a low-pH cement for geological disposal of radioactive waste: The Cebama reference cement. Applied Geochemistry. View this article in WRRO
Kearney SA, McLuckie B, Webb K, Orr R, Vatter IA, Yorkshire AS, Corkhill CL, Hayes M, Angus MJ & Provis JL (2020) Effects of plutonium dioxide encapsulation on the physico-chemical development of Portland cement blended grouts. Journal of Nuclear Materials, 530. View this article in WRRO
Barlow ST, Bailey DJ, Fisher AJ, Stennett MC, Gausse C, Ding H, Krasnov VA, Sayenko SY, Hyatt NC & Corkhill CL (2020) Synthesis, characterisation and corrosion behaviour of simulant Chernobyl nuclear meltdown materials. npj Materials Degradation, 4(1). View this article in WRRO
Cordara T, Smith H, Mohun R, Gardner LJ, Stennett MC, Hyatt NC & Corkhill CL (2020) Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP): A novel method to prepare Cr-doped UO2 nuclear fuel. MRS Advances. View this article in WRRO
Fisher AJ, Harrison MT, Hyatt NC, Hand RJ & Corkhill CL (2020) The dissolution of simulant UK Ca/Zn-modified nuclear waste glass : insight into Stage III behavior. MRS Advances, 5(3-4), 103-109. View this article in WRRO
Mottram LM, Dixon Wilkins MC, Blackburn LR, Oulton T, Stennett MC, Sun SK, Corkhill CL & Hyatt NC (2020) A feasibility investigation of laboratory based X-ray absorption spectroscopy in support of nuclear waste management. MRS Advances, 5(1-2), 27-35. View this article in WRRO
Gausse C, Dunlop CW, Friskney AA, Stennett MC, Hyatt NC & Corkhill CL (2020) Synthesis, characterisation and preliminary corrosion behaviour assessment of simulant Fukushima nuclear accident fuel debris. MRS Advances, 5(1-2), 65-72. View this article in WRRO
Mann C, Eskelsen JR, Leonard DN, Pierce E & Corkhill C (2020) The dissolution of simulant vitrified intermediate level nuclear waste in young cement water. MRS Advances. View this article in WRRO

Conference proceedings papers

Ding H, Gardner LJ, Mohun R, Corkhill CL, Stennett MC & Hyatt NC (2020) Advanced gas-cooled reactor SIMFuel fabricated by Hot Isostatic Pressing: a feasibility investigation. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, Vol. 818. Manchester, UK, 4 February 2020 - 5 February 2020. View this article in WRRO
Hyatt NC, Corkhill CL, Stennett MC, Hand RJ, Gardner LJ & Thorpe CL (2020) The HADES facility for high activity decommissioning engineering & science: part of the UK national nuclear user facility. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, Vol. 818. Manchester, UK, 4 February 2020 - 5 February 2020. View this article in WRRO
Blackburn LR, Gardner LJ, Sun SK, Maddrell ER, Stennett MC, Corkhill CL & Hyatt NC (2020) Hot Isostatically Pressed Zirconolite Wasteforms for Actinide Immobilisation. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, Vol. 818. Manchester, UK, 4 February 2020 - 5 February 2020. View this article in WRRO

Research group

Research team

Dr Clare Thorpe: EPSRC and David Clarke Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Dr Sarah Pepper: PLEIADES Experimental Officer
Dr Amber Mason: RWM plutonium wasteform evolution
Dr Lewis Blackburn: RWM plutonium wasteform evolution
Dr Chris-Dixon Wilkins: TRANSCEND
Dr Ramya Ravikumar: Project GLAD
Dr Ritesh Mohun: Defect chemistry of UO₂ fuels
Dr Josh Radford: SIMfuel synthesis and characterisation
Hannah Smith: Doped UO₂ fuels (PhD candidate, NGN CDT)
Max Cole: UO₂ grain boundaries (PhD candidate)
Dan Parkes: Characterisation and long-term behaviour of vitrified ILW (PhD candidate, NDA)
Jenny Ayling: Role of groundwater composition on glass dissolution (PhD candidate, NNL)
Rachel Crawford: Effect of canister corrosion products on glass dissolution (PhD candidate, GREEN CDT)
Ishy Aldean: Dissolution of plutonium wasteforms (PhD candidate, GREEN CDT)
Latham Haigh: Radiation effects on plutonium wasteform dissolution (PhD candidate, GREEN CDT)

Professional activities

Member, HM Treasury Energy Working Group of the Green Taxonomy
Materials Theme Lead of the RWM Research Support Office
Member, HM Government Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM)
Recipient of the Royal Society of Chemistry Bill Newton Award for Outstanding Contributions to Radiochemistry, 2018.
Recipient of the Geological Society William Smith Fund for Excellence in Applied Geoscience, 2014.
Member of the EPSRC Peer Review Associate College
Member of the Swiss Light Source Panel Review Committee
Associate Editor for the Nature Research journal npj Materials Degradation
Associate Editor for the Mineralogical Magazine Journal
Membership of: Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland, American Ceramic Society, Society of Glass Technology

Selected media appearances:

BBC Ideas documentary, The Nuclear Dilemma
Channel 5 documentary, “Russia vs The World”, on 1000 years of Russian history, including the Chernobyl accident
Online documentary: We should be talking about nuclear waste
ITV This Morning: The truth behind the hit TV series Chernobyl
BBC World Service Science in Action: New evidence of nuclear reactor explosion
The Conversation: Nuclear waste is piling up - government's need to stop dithering and take action

Women in Engineering

We interviewed Claire when she was a Vice Chancellor's Research Fellow for the Wall of Women. Here's Claire's video:

The Wall of Women profiles were taken over a 4/5 year time period and are a snapshot of what our engineers were doing at that time.