Energetics of mixing in ThO2–CeO2 fluorite solid solutions

Mixing enthalpies (ΔHmix) of ThO2–CeO2 solid solutions with respect to cubic fluorite ThO2 and CeO2 have been measured by high temperature oxide melt solution calorimetry. The system shows a slightly positive mixing enthalpy, with a maximum value of ΔHmix = 3.7 ± 2.5 kJ/mol at 50% Ce/(Ce + Th). Based on the regular-solution model, with an interaction parameter of 15.1 ± 2.2 kJ/mol fit to the measured data, the phase diagram is predicted to feature a miscibility gap with a calculated critical temperature of 908 ± 132 K. The results are complemented by density-functional-theory and Monte-Carlo calculations, which provide positive mixing enthalpies and a miscibility-gap phase diagram, in qualitative agreement with calorimetric results. The calculations suggest small effects of short-range order (clustering) on the mixing enthalpy above the miscibility gap. The calculated values of ΔHmix are within the error bars of the measured values, but consistently smaller in magnitude. An analysis of the calculated results indicates that the dominant contribution to the mixing enthalpy arises from the elastic energy associated with cation size mismatch, allowing predictions of the behavior in ThO2–UO2 and ThO2–PuO2 systems. The analysis also suggests that the slightly smaller values of the computed ΔHmix relative to experiment can be attributed to an underestimation of the magnitude of the elastic moduli in the calculations.

► ΔHmix of ThO2–CeO2 is measured.
► Maximum mixing enthalpy is 3.7 ± 2.5 kJ/mol at Th0.5Ce0.5O2.
► DFT and Monte-Carlo calculations are in agreement with experimental results.
► Phase diagram with critical temperature 908 ± 132 K is predicted.
► Findings allow the prediction of the behavior in ThO2–UO2 and ThO2–PuO2.