Uranium Migration in Spark Plasma Sintered W/UO₂ CERMETS

Authors

Dennis S. Tucker, Marshall Space Flight Center
Yaqiao Wu, Boise State UniversityFollow
Jatuporn Burns, Boise State UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-2018

Abstract

W/UO₂ CERMET samples were sintered in a Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) furnace at various temperature under vacuum and pressure. High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) was performed on the samples to determine interface structures and uranium diffusion from the UO₂ particles into the tungsten matrix. Local Electrode Atom Probe (LEAP) was also performed to determine stoichiometry of the UO₂ particles. It was seen that uranium diffused approximately 10–15 nm into the tungsten matrix. This is explained in terms of production of oxygen vacancies and Fick's law of diffusion.

Publication Information

Tucker, Dennis S.; Wu, Yaqiao; and Burns, Jatuporn. (2018). "Uranium Migration in Spark Plasma Sintered W/UO₂ Cermets". Journal of Nuclear Materials, 500, 141-144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2017.12.029