Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1569625 | Journal of Nuclear Materials | 2006 | 7 Pages |
Abstract
It is shown that the transient expansion of plutonium–gallium alloys observed both in the lattice parameter as well as in the dimension of a sample held at ambient temperature can be explained by assuming incipient precipitation of Pu3Ga. However, this ordered ζ′-phase is also subject to radiation-induced disordering. As a result, the gallium-stabilized δ-phase, being metastable at ambient temperature, is driven towards thermodynamic equilibrium by radiation-enhanced diffusion of gallium and at the same time reverted back to its metastable state by radiation-induced disordering. A steady state is reached in which only a modest fraction of the gallium present is arranged in ordered ζ′-phase regions.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Energy
Nuclear Energy and Engineering
Authors
W.G. Wolfer, B. Oudot, N. Baclet,