Characterizing PuO₂ Powder at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the Multi-Lab Plutonium Process Signatures Campaign FY 2022

This report highlights the development of advanced analytical capabilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to characterize PuO₂ powder to support the Multi-Lab Plutonium Process Signatures Campaign in FY 2022. Two samples from a batch of 76 statistical precipitation runs were packaged and shipped from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to Oak Ridge National Laboratory at the beginning of FY 2022. Techniques were used to characterize the sample, including powder X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. A brief description of each technique, the results and discussion, and future work are described in this report. Opportunities to expand current capabilities and include additional analytical capabilities for the next campaign will also be discussed.