Three-dimensional microstructural characterization of bulk plutonium and uranium metals using focused ion beam technique
Nuclear forensics requires accurate quantification of discriminating microstructural characteristics of the bulk nuclear material to identify its process history and provenance. Conventional metallographic preparation techniques for bulk plutonium (Pu) and uranium (U) metals are limited to providing information in two-dimension (2D) and do not allow for obtaining depth profile of the material. In this contribution, use of dual-beam focused ion-beam/scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) to investigate the internal microstructure of bulk Pu and U metals is demonstrated. Our results demonstrate that the dual-beam methodology optimally elucidate microstructural features without preparation artifacts, and the three-dimensional (3D) characterization of inner microstructures can reveal salient microstructural features that cannot be observed from conventional metallographic techniques. As a result, examples are shown to demonstrate the benefit of FIB-SEM in improving microstructural characterization of microscopic inclusions, particularly with respect to nuclear forensics.
- Publication Date:
- Report Number(s):
- LLNL-JRNL-679680
Journal ID: ISSN 0022-3115
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC52-07NA27344
- Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Nuclear Materials
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 473; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0022-3115
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Research Org:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org:
- USDOE
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND RUEL MATERIALS; 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; 75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1324519
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1345244
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
- Accepted Manuscript (Publisher)
-
Accepted Manuscript (DOE)
- Publisher's Version of Record
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2016.01.041