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Understanding the microstructural evolution of glasses during their interaction with water and radiation is of fundamental importance in addressing the corrosion of nuclear waste forms under geological disposal conditions. Here we report the results of more than 21 years of corrosion of two borosilicate glasses showing the formation of mesoporous C–S–H gels in Ca-bearing glasses and a mainly microporous microstructure in Al-bearing glasses. These porous corroded glasses were then irradiated with heavy ions to simulate the effects of recoil nucleus damage and monitored in real time using transmission electron microscopy with in situ ion irradiation. The ballistic collisions remarkably healed the porous corroded glasses to a pore-free homogeneous microstructure. Besides providing new insights and predictions about how doped glasses and actual waste forms may evolve under corrosion and irradiation, the …
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