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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.
Peter Taylor, Robert J. Lemire, Donald D. Wood
Nuclear Technology | Volume 104 | Number 2 | November 1993 | Pages 164-170
Technical Paper | Special Issue on Waste Management / Radioactive Waste Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT93-A34880
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Phase relationships among solids in the UO2-O2-H2O system at 25, 100, and 200°C and pressures to 2 MPa have been calculated from critically evaluated thermodynamic data. Stability limits of the solids are expressed in terms of oxygen and water partial pressures at each temperature. The results are then discussed in terms of known UO2 oxidation reactions and uranium mineralogy. Particular attention is paid to “UO3 hydrates, ’’some of which are shown to be stable phases in air at very low relative humidities (down to ∼0.1% at 25°C). This is relevant to fuel storage because of the very high molar volumes of these phases, relative to UO2, and consequent potential for damage to defected fuel assemblies. Comparison of the calculated phase relationships with observed UO2 oxidation behavior helps to identify those phase interconversions that are kinetically constrained.