Abstract
One of the main challenges in the study of TRISO (Tristructural Isotropic) coated fuel particles is the understanding of the diffusion of fission products through SiC. Among the elements produced inside the uranium kernel, it has been suggested that Pd might enhance the diffusion of other fission products. In this work, we have studied the interaction between Pd and SiC. We have observed that as Pd diffuses it can change the chemical composition and microstructure of SiC. Electron Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD) analysis showed that Pd increased the amount of high angle grain boundaries from 47% to 59%. Furthermore, we have observed that as Pd diffused, it changed the composition of SiC by leaving a trail of excess carbon at the grain boundary. This change in localized chemical composition and microstructure suggests a grain boundary complexion transition induced by Pd and a new way in which Pd can lead to faster diffusion routes for other fission products.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 6439-6442 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Journal of the American Ceramic Society |
| Volume | 102 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 1 2019 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funding
The authors acknowledge CONACYT for the Ph.D. grants awarded to F. Cancino-Trejo and D. Navarro-Solis. Finally, the authors thank Dow Chemicals for providing the SiC wafers.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología |
Keywords
- diffusion/diffusivity
- grain boundaries
- microstructure