Amorphous carbon enhancement of hydrogen penetration into UO2

The interaction of D2 and H2O (humidity) with amorphous carbon covered UO2 vs. clean UO2 was studied using Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). It was found that SIMS depth profiles of the carbon covered side vs. the bare oxide, show significant higher intensities of H- and D- for the first, through the carbon layer and beneath it. The presence of a thin carbon layer on a UO2 surface caused a significant buildup of hydroxyl, probably adsorbed on the carbon, but maybe also beneath the layer, in the presence of atmospheric humidity. Exposure of the carbon covered oxide to D2 on a UHV annealed surface also caused a growth of the hydroxyl. It is concluded that the carbon surface strongly enhances the dissociation of water vapor as well as that of hydrogen and the penetration of the dissociation products to the oxide, as compared to the bare UO2 surface. The contribution of the latter, beneath the carbon, should be verified or ruled out by further experiments.