With the rapid development of nuclear industry, the disposal of highly radioactive waste becomes a major safety and environmental issue, and the deep geological disposal is a generally accepted solution. For the reduction and the anaerobic disposal repository of granite, the suitable canister material is the high-purity copper. This paper reviews the domestic and foreign researches of the electrochemical behavior of the copper corrosion in the high-level waste environment, including the geological environment of the repository, the mechanism and the process of the copper corrosion and the life prediction of the copper canister. This paper provides a theoretical basis for better assessment of the corrosion resistance of the copper and precise prediction of the disposal canister life in the repository environment.

copper  /  nuclear waste  /  deep geological disposal  /  electrochemical corrosion