NSUF 13-429: Electron Backscatter Diffraction and Atom Probe Tomography to Study Grain Boundary Chemistry Variation in Off Stoichiometric Uranium Dioxide Thin Films
It is widely known that microstructural changes influence the thermal performance of nuclear fuels. One mechanism that plays a pivotal role in the microstructural evolution is fuel chemistry variation at boundaries, specifically grain boundaries. Changes in the microstructure, specifically discontinuities at grain boundaries, lead to a change in the efficiency of the transport of phonons or lattice vibrations. Focused research is needed to help explain the role grain boundary character plays fuel chemistry and thus the thermal transport properties in UO2. The objective of this proposed research is to study the effect of grain boundary character on the microstructure of nuclear fuel. The goal is to elucidate the fundamental material-physics underlying the connection between fuel chemistry variation at specific grain boundaries and their role in thermal transport properties. The proposed research utilizes electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) to study grain boundary dependent chemistry change in off stoichiometric polycrystalline UO2 thin films. In order to characterize grain boundary character and changes in fuel chemistry across the grain boundary of interest in UO2, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) in conjunction with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) available at CAES will be used. Samples will be prepared by conventional techniques for EBSD [1]. Samples will be studied in the late Summer or early Fall 2013. Final results will then be published in peer- reviewed journal articles. It is expected that these results will provide new insight into the grain boundary character dependence on chemistry variation in UO2, allowing for the correlation with atomic-level simulations and/or the ability to link with mesoscale structure-property relationships, specifically in thermal transport. References [1] P. V. Nerikar, et. al. J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 94 [6] 1893-1900 (2011)
Additional Info
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Abstract | It is widely known that microstructural changes influence the thermal performance of nuclear fuels. One mechanism that plays a pivotal role in the microstructural evolution is fuel chemistry variation at boundaries, specifically grain boundaries. Changes in the microstructure, specifically discontinuities at grain boundaries, lead to a change in the efficiency of the transport of phonons or lattice vibrations. Focused research is needed to help explain the role grain boundary character plays fuel chemistry and thus the thermal transport properties in UO2. The objective of this proposed research is to study the effect of grain boundary character on the microstructure of nuclear fuel. The goal is to elucidate the fundamental material-physics underlying the connection between fuel chemistry variation at specific grain boundaries and their role in thermal transport properties. The proposed research utilizes electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) to study grain boundary dependent chemistry change in off stoichiometric polycrystalline UO2 thin films. In order to characterize grain boundary character and changes in fuel chemistry across the grain boundary of interest in UO2, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) in conjunction with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) available at CAES will be used. Samples will be prepared by conventional techniques for EBSD [1]. Samples will be studied in the late Summer or early Fall 2013. Final results will then be published in peer- reviewed journal articles. It is expected that these results will provide new insight into the grain boundary character dependence on chemistry variation in UO2, allowing for the correlation with atomic-level simulations and/or the ability to link with mesoscale structure-property relationships, specifically in thermal transport. References [1] P. V. Nerikar, et. al. J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 94 [6] 1893-1900 (2011) |
| Award Announced Date | 2013-06-13T00:00:00 |
| Awarded Institution | None |
| Facility | None |
| Facility Tech Lead | Yaqiao Wu |
| Irradiation Facility | None |
| PI | Michele Manuel |
| PI Email | [email protected] |
| Project Type | RTE |
| RTE Number | 429 |