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Phase identification and morphology in rolled and annealed U-22.5at.%Zr foils

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Abstract

A uranium-22.5 atomic% zirconium (U-22.5at.%Zr) alloy was characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) following hot/cold-rolling, and again following a post-roll anneal as part of a novel fabrication process for the alloy. The TEM characterization included selected area electron diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and bright field imaging. The δ-UZr2 phase fraction was 53.47% ± 0.09% in the rolled foil, substantially larger than the near-equilibrium value, 21.93% ± 0.03% in the annealed foil. Phase fractions and EDS analysis suggest a defect-driven U supersaturation in the δ-UZr2 phase. The lamellae mean random spacing was 0.21 μm ± 0.03 μm in the rolled foil and 0.70 μm ± 0.10 μm in the annealed foil. The δ-UZr2 L3 values were 0.11 μm ± 0.02 μm in the rolled foil and 0.16 μm ± 0.03 μm in the annealed foil. Zirconium inclusions in all foils were face-centered cubic (space group Fm-3 m), reinforcing that further investigations into the formation mechanism(s) and evolution of Zr inclusions are needed.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available beyond what is included in this publication due to being included in an ongoing PhD program. However, the data may be made available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This research was partially supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), under DOE Idaho Operations Office Contract DE-AC07-05ID14517 through a Nuclear Science User Facilities experimental project and the Advanced Fuel Campaign. TEM Characterization took place in the Irradiated Material Characterization Laboratory at Idaho National Laboratory.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, 701 West Stadium Ave. ARMS, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Walter J. Williams & Maria A. Okuniewski

  2. Idaho National Laboratory, MFC-1742, Scoville, ID, 83415-0001, USA

    Walter J. Williams, Tiankai Yao, Laura Sudderth, Fidelma Di Lemma & Luca Capriotti

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Williams, W.J., Yao, T., Sudderth, L. et al. Phase identification and morphology in rolled and annealed U-22.5at.%Zr foils. MRS Advances 6, 1037–1042 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1557/s43580-021-00162-6

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