Buffering the oxygen activity of uranium dioxide fuels using niobium and molybdenum as redox additives

IF 2.8 2区工程技术 Q3 MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Journal of Nuclear Materials Pub Date : 2025-02-03 DOI:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155647

Philippe Garcia , Erwin Douguet-Bronnec , Franck Fournet-Fayard , Florian Le Hello , Xavière Iltis , Nicolas Tarisien , Jacques Fouletier , Marlu Cesar Steil

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Abstract

We demonstrate that it is possible to control the oxygen activity of a uranium oxide fuel by incorporating additives during the manufacturing process that have a strong redox activity. To this end, we have studied the macroscopic electrochemical properties of three polycrystalline uranium dioxide samples, the first containing both molybdenum and molybdenum dioxide, the second containing niobium dioxide and the last containing no additives other than impurities. During experiments, samples were subjected to reducing and subsequently oxidizing atmospheres with respect to the oxygen partial pressure at which the oxidized and reduced forms of the additives are in equilibrium. In situ monitoring of the electrochemical response of the samples reveals that the presence of redox couples involving either niobium or molybdenum significantly modifies the oxygen activity of a uranium dioxide solid. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Electron Back-Scatter Diffraction (EBSD) and Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) prior to and following the high temperature measurements, confirm the in situ data: the final microstructure purports to show that the electrochemical activity is controlled by the Mo/MoO₂ and the NbO₂/Nb₂O₅ couples for the molybdenum and niobium containing samples respectively.

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来源期刊

Journal of Nuclear Materials 工程技术-材料科学：综合

CiteScore

5.70

自引率

25.80%

发文量

601

审稿时长

63 days

期刊介绍： The Journal of Nuclear Materials publishes high quality papers in materials research for nuclear applications, primarily fission reactors, fusion reactors, and similar environments including radiation areas of charged particle accelerators. Both original research and critical review papers covering experimental, theoretical, and computational aspects of either fundamental or applied nature are welcome. The breadth of the field is such that a wide range of processes and properties in the field of materials science and engineering is of interest to the readership, spanning atom-scale processes, microstructures, thermodynamics, mechanical properties, physical properties, and corrosion, for example. Topics covered by JNM Fission reactor materials, including fuels, cladding, core structures, pressure vessels, coolant interactions with materials, moderator and control components, fission product behavior. Materials aspects of the entire fuel cycle. Materials aspects of the actinides and their compounds. Performance of nuclear waste materials; materials aspects of the immobilization of wastes. Fusion reactor materials, including first walls, blankets, insulators and magnets. Neutron and charged particle radiation effects in materials, including defects, transmutations, microstructures, phase changes and macroscopic properties. Interaction of plasmas, ion beams, electron beams and electromagnetic radiation with materials relevant to nuclear systems.