| AVS 62nd International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Actinides and Rare Earths Focus Topic | Wednesday Sessions |
| Session AC+AS+MI-WeA |
| Session: | Chemistry and Physics of the Actinides and Rare Earths |
| Presenter: | Alison Pugmire, Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| Authors: | L. Pugmire, Los Alamos National Laboratory C.H. Booth, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory J. Venhaus, Los Alamos National Laboratory L. Pugmire, Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
One of the fundamental challenges of modern science lies in understanding the chemistry and physics of the actinides, and in particular, plutonium. It’s unpredictable behavior and reactivity has led to a very poor understanding of its metallurgy and corrosion process. This not only poses a basic scientific challenge, but directly affects the safe, long term storage of this material. In an effort to understand the surface chemistry and corrosion of plutonium, knowledge of the surface oxide composition is paramount. The currently accepted description of the oxide layer formed under ambient temperatures and pressures consists of a thick PuO2 surface layer over a thin Pu2O3 layer at the metal interface. However, recent studies by our group indicate this description is inadequate, and the oxide layer formed in the initial stages, in particular, is much more complex. We have recently focused on studying the oxide layer formed on gallium stabilized δ-plutonium in ambient conditions (pressure, temperature). We have characterized this layer using multiple spectroscopic techniques, including spectroscopic ellipsometery (SE), x-ray photoelectron spectrosocopy (XPS), and x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). This diverse and complimentary suite of experimental techniques will address many long-standing issues regarding the nature of the oxide layer and the corrosion mechanism.