NSUF 22-4442: Dislocation loop and bubble evolution in helium irradiated ThO2 and UO2 single crystals
The development of a quantitative relationship between radiation induced defects and thermal transport of oxide fuels has been rarely achieved. The technical objective of this RTE is to generate helium bubbles dominated microstructure in two model oxide fuels, ThO2 and UO2 single crystals using helium irradiation at high temperature at Texas A&M University. Then the quantification analysis of radiation induced helium bubbles including size and density will be performed using transmission electron microscope (TEM) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The TEM samples will be prepared using focused ion beam (FIB) system at INL. After this RTE, the thermal transport of irradiated ThO2 and UO2 crystals will be measured using modulated thermoreflectance technique either at The Ohio State University (OSU) and INL, and the quantitative relationship between helium bubbles and thermal conductivity in ThO2 and UO2 crystals will be established. Both OSU and INL facilities have a proven experience to handle these alpha particle emittor materials.
Additional Info
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Awarded Institution | The Ohio State University |
| Embargo End Date | 2026-02-27 |
| Facility Tech Lead | Lin Shao, Mukesh Bachhav |
| Irradiation Facilities | Accelerator Laboratory |
| NSUF Call | FY 2022 RTE 1st Call |
| PI | Marat Khafizov |
| PI Email | [email protected] |
| PI Phone Number | (614) 292-2544 |
| PIE Facilities | Microscopy and Characterization Suite |
| Project Member | Dr. Lingfeng He, Associate Professor - North Carolina State University (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2763-1462) |
| Project Member | Professor Marat Khafizov, Associate Professor - The Ohio State University (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8171-3528) |
| Project Member | Professor Miaomiao Jin, Assistant professor - Pennsylvania State University (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3543-4082) |
| Project Notes | Awarded on 06/14/2022 |
| Project Type | RTE |
| Publication | In-Situ TEM study of microstructural evolution in proton irradiated single crystal UO2 under high-temperature annealing Kaustubh Bawane, Anshul Kamboj, Miaomiao Jin, Mutaz Alshannaq, Fei Teng, Mason Childs, Lin Shao, David Hurley, Yongfeng Zhang, Marat Khafizov, Boopathy Kombaiah Acta Materialia 281 2024-10-24 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2024.120440 |
| Publication | Faulted and Perfect Loop Evolution in Single Crystal Thorium Dioxide under High-Temperature Proton Irradiation Anshul Kamboj, Kaustubh Bawane, Lingfeng He, Lin Shao, Marat Khafizov, Yongfeng Zhang, Miaomiao Jin, David Hurley, Boopathy Kombaiah Journal of Nuclear Materials 615 2025-06-04 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155955 |
| RTE Number | 4442 |