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| United States Patent | 5,350,569 |
| Coppa | Sept. 27, 1994 |
Storage of nuclear materials by encapsulation in fullerenes
| Inventors: | Coppa; Nicholas V.
(Los Alamos, NM).
|
| Assignee: | The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
(Washington, DC).
|
| Appl. No.: | 039,668 |
| Filed: | Mar. 30, 1993 |
| Intl. Cl.: | C01B 31/00; |
| U.S. Cl.: | 423/251.; 423/445.B; |
| Field of Search: | 251;250;252;445 B
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
| H1,013 | Jan., 1992 | Wormsbecher et al. | 252/629 |
| R,e34,041 | Aug., 1992 | Doan | 252/628 |
| 5,256,338 | Oct., 1993 | Nishi et al. | 252/628 |
| 5,272,740 | Dec., 1993 | Marsaud et al. | 252/629 |
| 5,273,729 | Dec., 1993 | Howard et al. | 423/445 B |
| 5,275,705 | Jan., 1994 | Bethune et al. | 423/445 B |
Primary Examiner: Walsh; Donald P.
Assistant Examiner: Voss; Frederick H.
Abstract
A method of encapsulating radioactive materials inside fullerenes for
stable long-term storage. Fullerenes provide a safe and efficient means of
disposing of nuclear waste which is extremely stable with respect to the
environment. After encapsulation, a radioactive ion is essentially
chemically isolated from its external environment.
5 Claims,
No Drawings
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