Effect of oxygen defects on thermal conductivity of thorium-cerium dioxide solid solutions

Thermal conductivity of thorium-cerium dioxide solid solutions has been measured and analyzed using the relaxation time approximation. Despite the presence of oxygen defects, the partially reduced Th0.8Ce0.2O1.97 exhibited higher thermal conductivity than the stoichiometric one, Th0.8Ce0.2O2.00, showing the same tendency as that previously reported for Th0.7Pu0.3O2-δ. The increase in thermal conductivity with the oxygen defects can be explained by assuming that cerium ions have an average ionic radius of the ionic radii of Ce3+ and Ce4+ in the description of phonon-impurity scattering. This result indicates that the small reduction of (Th,Pu)O2-δ fuel increases the thermal conductivity, especially at high temperatures.