Title: Water Radiolysis and Chemical Production Rates Near Solid-Water Boundaries
Abstract: Water radiolysis is the dissociation of water molecules by ionizing radiation from the decay of radionuclides. Primary products of water radiolysis include reactive chemicals, such as H2 and H2O2. For this reason, radiolysis is studied in many domains, including nuclear waste, microbiology and planetary evolution. In order to understand the importance of radiolysis in many of these environments, accurate quantification of radiolytic production rates is vital. In this dissertation, I present a new quantitative model calculating radiolytic production rates at solid-water interfaces and apply it to understand the role that radiolysis plays in various environments.