Journal of Nuclear Materials最新文献

{"title":"Damage generation mechanism and performance degradation of CdZnTe radiation detectors in neutron radiation field","authors":"Qinzeng Hu ,&nbsp;Lingyan Xu ,&nbsp;Zhixin Tan ,&nbsp;Ming Hao ,&nbsp;Lu Liang ,&nbsp;Yingming Wang ,&nbsp;Zhentao Qin ,&nbsp;Lixiang Lian ,&nbsp;Chongqi Liu ,&nbsp;Yanyan Lei ,&nbsp;Wei Zheng ,&nbsp;Wanqi Jie","doi":"10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155781","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155781","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Semiconductor radiation detectors used in nuclear power plants and other environments are inevitably exposed to neutron, γ-ray and other high-energy radiation, which can damage the crystal structure of semiconductors and thus degrade the detector performance. Here, we investigate the effects of neutron irradiation on the microstructure, photoelectric and radiation detection performance of CdZnTe detectors. Low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra show that the dislocation related defect concentration in the irradiated crystals increases with increasing fluence. The infrared (IR) transmittance of the irradiated crystal decreases compared with that of the unirradiated crystal, which also indicates an increase in the dislocation density. The presence of stacking faults, stacking fault dipoles and dislocation locks in the irradiated CdZnTe crystals has been revealed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The energy resolution of γ-ray from ²⁴¹Am@100 V is degraded from 5.86 % before irradiation to 10.72 % after irradiation at 5.6 × 10¹⁰ n/cm². In addition, the mobility-lifetime product of electron (μτ)_e in CdZnTe detectors is reduced from 4.8 × 10^-3 cm²/V before irradiation to 7.02 × 10^-4 cm²/V after irradiation at 5.6 × 10¹⁰ n/cm². I-V test show that the barrier height of the CdZnTe detector decreases with the increase of neutron irradiation fluence, leading to a decrease in resistivity. Time-of-flight (TOF) tests demonstrate that the electron mobility after irradiation decreases with increasing irradiation fluence. Notably, the maximum neutron fluence used in this study is 3.9 × 10¹¹ n/cm², at which the CdZnTe radiation detector is not completely damaged. This study mainly investigates the radiation damage mechanism, induced defect characteristics and performance degradation of CdZnTe crystals by neutron irradiation, aiming to provide theoretical guidance for improving the radiation-resistant properties of detectors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":373,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nuclear Materials","volume":"610 ","pages":"Article 155781"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143734527","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of transmutation and active elements on the surface stability of silicon carbide","authors":"Chenhao Yang ,&nbsp;Min Liu ,&nbsp;Jun Hui","doi":"10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155777","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155777","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the influence of transmutation (Be, Li, Al, Mg) and active elements (Mo, Ti, Zr, Y) on the surface stability of 3C-SiC using density functional theory. The findings reveal: i) Strong surface segregation of these elements, along with their segregation into the surface depth, induces abrupt changes in surface stability. The segregation energies of these elements are positively correlated with their solubility energies. ii) Surface segregation generally enhances stability. Be, Li, Al, Mo, Ti, Mg, and Y improve the stability of (111) and (011) surfaces, while Zr destabilizes the (111) surface. The mechanisms underlying multi-element attraction and repulsion are quantitatively explained through binding energy analysis. iii) Al and Y exhibit significant charge loss, destabilizing the surface by promoting chemical reactions and increasing defects. In contrast, Li resists charge loss, maintaining electronic stability, while Mg regulates charge distribution uniformly, stabilizing the surface structure irrespective of orientation or additional elements. This work provides valuable insights into the atomic-scale mechanisms governing SiC surface stability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":373,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nuclear Materials","volume":"610 ","pages":"Article 155777"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143704180","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Swelling behavior of Cr16Ni19 steel under neutron irradiation: experimental and theoretical analysis","authors":"Alexey Yanilkin ,&nbsp;Alexander Kozlov ,&nbsp;Irina Portnykh","doi":"10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155771","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155771","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper investigates the swelling behavior of Cr16Ni19 austenitic steel used for fuel cladding in the BN-600 reactor. Experimental investigations were conducted over doses of 0.3–48.5 dpa and temperatures of 370–410 °C using high-resolution electron microscopy, which revealed the formation of helium-vacancy bubbles (∼1.5 nm, 1–3·10²² m⁻³) and, at doses above 5 dpa, voids exceeding 10 nm in diameter. Dislocation density measurements ranged from (3.4–5)· 10¹⁴ m⁻², increasing to 7·10¹⁴ m⁻² at lower irradiation temperatures. A kinetic swelling model was then parameterized using these data, along with high-dose measurements (&gt;50 dpa), to predict swelling behavior and compare it with that of AISI 316 steel. The model suggests that Cr16Ni19 steel exhibits enhanced swelling resistance due to a stable dislocation network and a higher concentration of interstitial clusters, likely influenced by its silicon content. Conventional approximation methods were found to underestimate the fuel element's remaining service life, highlighting the need for predictive models that incorporate real time microstructural data.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":373,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nuclear Materials","volume":"610 ","pages":"Article 155771"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143739649","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of B4C particles on Al-TiO2 reaction in Al matrix composite","authors":"B.M. Shi ,&nbsp;Y. Liu ,&nbsp;S.Z. Zhu ,&nbsp;Y.N. Zan ,&nbsp;Q.Z. Wang ,&nbsp;B.L. Xiao ,&nbsp;Z.Y. Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155776","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155776","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, composites were produced using powder metallurgy with Al-TiO₂ and Al-TiO₂-B₄C as raw materials, and the impact of B₄C on the reaction between Al and TiO₂ was investigated. Hot-pressing was employed at temperatures of 580 °C, 600 °C, 620 °C, and 640 °C to fabricate the composites, followed by analysis of their microstructure and mechanical properties. The results revealed that at a temperature of 580 °C, Al₃Ti and Al₂O₃ were formed in the Al-TiO₂ composite system, and when the hot-pressing temperature reached 620 °C, all TiO₂ within the matrix was completely consumed in the reaction with Al. In contrast, for the Al-TiO₂-B₄C composite system, B₄C exhibited a noticeable inhibiting effect on the reaction. At a hot-pressing temperature of 580 °C, no discernible reaction occurred between TiO₂ and the matrix; while at temperatures of 600 °C, 620 °C, and 640 °C, only a small amount of Al₃Ti and Al₂O₃ appeared in the matrix. Consequently, the strength of composites fabricated by Al-TiO₂ increased with increasing hot-pressing temperature; whereas for composites made from Al-TiO₂-B₄C hot-pressed at different temperatures showed similar strengths.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":373,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nuclear Materials","volume":"610 ","pages":"Article 155776"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143725314","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of composition and cold work on SCC of high Si-bearing stainless steel simulating radiation-induced segregation under simulated PWR primary water","authors":"Caibo Xie ,&nbsp;Deng Pan ,&nbsp;Hao Liu ,&nbsp;Zhanpeng Lu ,&nbsp;Tongming Cui ,&nbsp;Junjie Chen ,&nbsp;Xinhe Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155775","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155775","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Thick block alloys simulating radiation-induced segregation effects of compositions at grain boundaries were designed and prepared, and deformation due to irradiation hardening was simulated by cold working treatments. The stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behavior of 17Cr-13Ni-3Si, 13Cr-17Ni, and 13Cr-17Ni-3Si alloys in the as-cast and cold-worked states was studied by crack growth rate (CGR) tests using compact tension specimens in hydrogenated high-temperature water. The fracture surfaces of the three as-cast state simulated alloys showed local SCC indications, while the fracture surfaces of all cold-worked state simulated alloys showed typical intergranular SCC characteristics. In the absence of cold work, the single Si addition has no noticeable effect on SCC propagation. Stress-accelerated grain boundary oxidation acts as the initiation site for intergranular cracks. Cold-worked low Cr alloy with high Si content significantly promotes SCC growth in hydrogenated water. The effect of alloy composition and strain hardening on SCC and its implications for irradiation-assisted SCC were discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":373,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nuclear Materials","volume":"610 ","pages":"Article 155775"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143715458","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Computational analysis of plasma-wall interactions in beryllium: A detailed study of physical and chemically assisted physical sputtering","authors":"Nima Fakhrayi Mofrad ,&nbsp;Juri Romazanov ,&nbsp;Roy Schumacher ,&nbsp;Andrea E. Sand","doi":"10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155758","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155758","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding plasma-wall interactions is one of the main challenges in the design and development of fusion reactors. Among the primary effects of these interactions is the erosion of plasma-facing components through physical or chemical sputtering, which can limit the availability and performance of the device. We simulate this phenomenon in beryllium surfaces with varying concentrations of hydrogen isotopes using atomistic molecular dynamics. Special attention is given to chemical sputtering and the overall behavior of molecules emitted from the surface. Our findings indicate that the balance between physical and chemical sputtering is considerably affected by isotope type, impact energy, and incident angle of the plasma particle. We compare the results with predictions from SDTrimSP, a tool that utilizes the more computationally efficient binary collision approximation, to elucidate the conditions where the higher accuracy of molecular dynamics is needed. Moreover, we highlight the effect of surface temperature, which determines the concentration of hydrogen isotopes in the surface layers, on the contribution of chemical sputtering to total erosion, and the types of sputtered molecules. Lastly, we demonstrate that the escape energies and angles of the sputtered species are also significantly influenced by the impact energy and angle of the plasma particles.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":373,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nuclear Materials","volume":"609 ","pages":"Article 155758"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143682846","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"First-principles calculation of oxygen absorption, solution and diffusion in Zr and its coatings (Cr, Cr/α-Al2O3)","authors":"Yiying Yang ,&nbsp;Xiaokai Zhou ,&nbsp;Rongchuan Li ,&nbsp;Tianyuan Xin ,&nbsp;Jiaxuan Si ,&nbsp;Yaojun Li ,&nbsp;Yuexia Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155759","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155759","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This work used first-principles calculations to investigate the O behavior near the Zr(0001), Cr(100), and <em>α</em>-Al₂O₃(0001) surfaces, as well as in the Zr(0001)/Cr(100) and Cr(100)/<em>α</em>-Al₂O₃(0001) interfaces. The calculation of absorption, solution, and migration energies, and the analysis of interlayer distances, electronic properties, and jump rates, demonstrated that the <em>α</em>-Al₂O₃(0001) surface possesses the highest resistance to O ingression among these three surfaces. Moreover, the evaluation of interfacial bonding strength revealed that Cr layers are competent to tightly adhere to both Zr substrate and <em>α</em>-Al₂O₃ coating. Consequently, this work proposed a promising coating, Cr/<em>α</em>-Al₂O₃ composite coating with high adhesion work for resisting the delamination of the composite coating. The composite coating exhibits better oxidation resistance than both Zr substrate and Cr coating, which primarily owes to the outer <em>α</em>-Al₂O₃ coating as a shielding layer since O atoms can easily cross the interfaces according to the calculation of migration energies. This work provided theoretical guidance for the development of zircaloy cladding coating materials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":373,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nuclear Materials","volume":"609 ","pages":"Article 155759"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143695922","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Electrochemical behavior and extraction of Nd (III) on reactive zinc electrode in LiCl-KCl melts","authors":"De-Bin Ji ,&nbsp;Rui-Long Liang ,&nbsp;Heng-Yu Tan ,&nbsp;Shao-Ting Zhang ,&nbsp;De-Qiang Ji ,&nbsp;Hong-Jun Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155751","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155751","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The efficient extraction of neodymium is of great significance in the dry reprocessing process for the nuclear fuel cycle. In this research, the extraction of Nd in a LiCl-KCl molten salt system was achieved by potentiostatic electrolysis and galvanostatic electrolysis using Zn as the active cathode. A variety of electrochemical methods were employed to deeply investigate the electrochemical behavior of Nd on an inert Mo electrode, galvanized (Zn-coated) Mo electrode, and liquid Zn electrode in the LiCl-KCl melt. The six Zn-Nd intermetallic compounds formed on the Zn-coated Mo electrode were analyzed and determined in detail, and the thermodynamic properties of these six Zn-Nd intermetallic compounds were investigated. Furthermore, the activity coefficients and solubilities of Nd on the liquid Zn electrode were calculated at different temperatures. This study provides some fundamental data for spent fuel reprocessing technology and is expected to help advance the sustainable development of nuclear energy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":373,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nuclear Materials","volume":"609 ","pages":"Article 155751"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143642592","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microstructurally validated stable and predictable swelling in low-enriched uranium monolithic U-10Mo fuel mini-plates","authors":"William A. Hanson,&nbsp;Daniele Salvato,&nbsp;Adam B. Robinson,&nbsp;Nancy J. Lybeck,&nbsp;Jan-Fong Jue,&nbsp;Tammy L. Trowbridge,&nbsp;Jatuporn Burns,&nbsp;Fidelma G. Di Lemma,&nbsp;Charlyne A. Smith,&nbsp;Margaret A. Marshall,&nbsp;Dennis D. Keiser Jr.,&nbsp;Jeffrey J. Giglio,&nbsp;James I. Cole","doi":"10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155746","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155746","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Qualification of the low-enriched uranium (LEU) monolithic U-10 wt%Mo (U-10Mo) plate-type fuel system requires a demonstration of a stable and predictable fuel swelling behavior over the anticipated operating conditions of the United States high-performance research reactors (USHPRRs) selected for conversion to LEU operation. This will allow each reactor to develop appropriate safety margins that will retain fuel element lifetime coolability. Additionally, the fuel system must maintain performance attributes when fabricated at a commercial scale. The Mini-plate 1 experiment represents the first irradiation test of commercially fabricated miniaturized monolithic LEU U-10Mo fuel plates. The swelling behavior within this experiment was compared against that of historical fuel developmental tests to reveal that the commercially fabricated fuel performed within the current recommended U-10Mo swelling model's predictions. Additionally, the fuel microstructural evolution was evaluated to link initial conditions to subtle variations detected in the swelling response, providing validation and confidence that the fuel system is robust.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":373,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nuclear Materials","volume":"609 ","pages":"Article 155746"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143643135","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identification of uranium oxidation states using oxygen K-edge scanning transmission X-ray microscopy","authors":"Rachel E. Lim ,&nbsp;Alexander A. Baker ,&nbsp;Alexander S. Ditter ,&nbsp;S. Olivia Gunther ,&nbsp;David K. Shuh ,&nbsp;Jack M. Mayer ,&nbsp;Matthew A. Marcus ,&nbsp;Scott B. Donald ,&nbsp;Brandon W. Chung","doi":"10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155754","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155754","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The field of nuclear forensics is growing in importance, and the increasing capabilities at synchrotron radiation light sources enable non-destructive characterization of oxide particles with better spatial, compositional, and oxidation state speciation resolution than ever before. Uranium oxide particles derived from multiple wet chemical processing methods were examined using a scanning transmission X-ray microscope (STXM), and a weakly-supervised method was developed to automatically analyze the collected data. Multiple uranium oxidation states were observed and quantified within and between samples, yielding information about differences between particles produced via the various processing routes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":373,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nuclear Materials","volume":"609 ","pages":"Article 155754"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143682794","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}