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Investigation of the polymorphs and hydrolysis of uranium trioxide

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Abstract

This work focuses on the polymorphic nature of the UO3 and UO3–H2O system, which are important materials associated with the nuclear fuel cycle. The UO3–water system is complex and has not been fully characterized, even though these species are key fuel cycle materials. Powder X-ray diffraction, and Raman and fluorescence spectroscopies were used to characterize both the several polymorphic forms of UO3 and the certain UO3-hydrolysis products for the purpose of developing predictive capabilities and estimating process history; for example, polymorphic phases of unknown origin. Specifically, we have investigated three industrially relevant production pathways of UO3 and discovered a previously unknown low temperature route to the production of β-UO3. Several phases of UO3, its hydrolysis products, and key starting materials were synthesized and characterized as pure materials to establish optical spectroscopic signatures for these compounds for forensic analysis.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported in part by the National Technical Nuclear Forensics Center (NFNFC, a department of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security), and was co-funded by NA-22 in the National Nuclear Security Administration/Office of Nonproliferation & Verification Research and Development. The work was conducted at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a multiprogram national laboratory operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC05-76RL01830. We thank our sponsors for their support.

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  1. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Blvd., Richland, WA, 99352, USA

    Lucas E. Sweet, Thomas A. Blake, Charles H. Henager Jr., Shenyang Hu, Timothy J. Johnson, David E. Meier, Shane M. Peper & Jon M. Schwantes

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  1. Lucas E. Sweet
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  2. Thomas A. Blake
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  3. Charles H. Henager Jr.
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  4. Shenyang Hu
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  5. Timothy J. Johnson
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  8. Jon M. Schwantes
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Correspondence to Lucas E. Sweet.

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Sweet, L.E., Blake, T.A., Henager, C.H. et al. Investigation of the polymorphs and hydrolysis of uranium trioxide. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 296, 105–110 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-012-2063-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-012-2063-9

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