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INL reports findings on unusual quantum behavior of plutonium
Scientists at Idaho National Laboratory have discovered that plutonium hexaboride (PuB6) displays a type of unusual quantum property called a topological Kondo insulating state. Materials with this property are neither typical electricity conductors nor regular insulators. Rather, they have exterior surfaces that strongly conduct electricity and interiors that block electricity.
Masayoshi Ishida, Takanari Ogata, Motoyasu Kinoshita
Nuclear Technology | Volume 104 | Number 1 | October 1993 | Pages 37-51
Technical Paper | Nuclear Fuel Cycle | doi.org/10.13182/NT93-A34868
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A model for constituent migration behavior in U-Pu-Zr metallic fast reactor fuel is proposed. It is based on diffusion equations for the ternary system under a radial temperature gradient, and it takes into account the alloy phase decomposition, assuming a quasi-binary U-Zr phase diagram with a constant plutonium content. Parametric simulations of Experimental Breeder Reactor II irradiation data with appropriate transport properties of the alloy system showed that the model can predict the experimentally observed radial three-zone structure and zirconium and uranium redistribution, although the predicted radial location of zirconium-depleted middle zone disagreed with the experimental result. Accumulation of basic experimental data on transport properties and a ternary phase diagram of the system are needed for a better understanding of the behavior.