Issue 30, 2022, Issue in Progress

A microfluidic electrochemical cell for studying the corrosion of uranium dioxide (UO2)

Abstract

We have developed a specialized microfluidic electrochemical cell that enables in situ investigation of the electrochemical corrosion of microgram quantities of redox active solids. The advantage of downscaling is the reduction of hazards, waste, expense, and greatly expanding data collection for hazardous materials, including radioactive samples. Cyclic voltammetry was used to monitor the oxidation–reduction cycle of minute quantities of micron-size uraninite (UO2) particles, from the formation of hexavalent uranium (U(VI)), U3O7 and reduction to UO2+x. Reaction progress was also studied in situ with scanning electron microscopy. The electrochemical measurements matched those obtained at the bulk-scale and were consistent with ex situ characterization of the run products by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy; thus, demonstrating the utility of the microfluidic approach for studying radioactive materials.

Graphical abstract: A microfluidic electrochemical cell for studying the corrosion of uranium dioxide (UO2)

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
18 Apr 2022
Accepted
26 Jun 2022
First published
04 Jul 2022
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

RSC Adv., 2022,12, 19350-19358

A microfluidic electrochemical cell for studying the corrosion of uranium dioxide (UO2)

J. Yao, N. Lahiri, S. Tripathi, S. L. Riechers, E. S. Ilton, S. Chatterjee and E. C. Buck, RSC Adv., 2022, 12, 19350 DOI: 10.1039/D2RA02501A

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