| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T24: Materials Science & Technology
|
| Symposium
|
Advanced Characterization of Materials for Nuclear, Radiation, and Extreme Environments V
|
| Presentation Title |
L-1: Application of Laboratory-Based Photoelectron Spectroscopy with Hard and Soft X-Rays to Nuclear Forensics Characterization of Uranium Dioxide Fuel |
| Author(s) |
Stuart Dunn, Paul Roussel, Aaron Wood, Ben Spencer, Robert Harrision, Philip Kaye, Matthew Higginson, Wendy Flavell |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Stuart Dunn |
| Abstract Scope |
Nuclear Forensic investigations rely on the analysis of the chemical and physical properties to determine the provenance of nuclear materials, found out of regulatory control. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has been shown to be a powerful tool in supporting material assessment by analysis of the top few nanometers of the surface. With the onset of laboratory based hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) instrumentation, this provides the opportunity to probe deeper into the bulk. Utilizing the 9.25 KeV excitation range of HAXPES, quantification is possible from different average depths of the sample matrix showing inhomogeneity between the surface and the bulk, offer a unique non-destructive depth profile. Chemical speciation is determined for the first-time using uranium transitions only accessible in HAXPES analysis. Combined with XPS, this correlates the stoichiometric depth variation with chemical speciation to understand the corrosion and contamination present on the surface, which are key forensic signatures. |