Аннотация:Currently, the Russian Federation is developing a concept for the construction of a deep geological repository (DGR) of radioactive waste in crystalline rocks on the periphery of the Nizhnekansky granitoid massif. The concept proposes to use bentonite clays as a buffer material. Bentonites of the buffer layer will be affected by pore waters of the massif and other barrier materials such as concrete and steel. To ensure the safety of the repository, it is important to obtain numerical data on changes in the engineered barrier system (EBS) materials, particularly buffer clays (Krupskaya et al., 2023).A series of experiments were conducted to identify patterns in the changes of composition, structure and properties of bentonites, as well as the changes in the structure of smectites, at simulated conditions of the DGR using solutions simulating pore waters of the “Yeniseisky” site with different pH and in interaction with concrete and steel. Bentonites from the deposits of 10th Khutor (Russian Federation) and Taganskoe (Kazakhstan Republic) were studied.