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Thermal signatures of Cu metal revealed through oxygen isotope fractionation

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Abstract

Cu metal, surrogate for metallic actinide materials, was subject to accelerated aging through thermal treatment. A multiphase oxide-layer (Cu2O, CuO) was detected, varying with temperature (250–400 °C) and aging time (1–3.5 h). Isotope ratio mass spectrometry revealed temperature-dependent isotopic fractionation of O, evidenced by the enrichment of Cu oxide in 16O isotopes with increasing temperature. Isotopic fractionation occurred initially with atmospheric O, and later through exchange with water vapor. Raman spectra contributed insight on phase fraction and local bonding of Cu oxides. O isotopes could serve as a useful tracer for studying oxide layer growth from aging metallic systems.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) Academic Research Initiative (ARI) under Grant 2015-DN- 077-ARI093. The views presented in this paper are those of the authors do not necessarily reflect those of U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS), DNDO, or the ARI. This material is also based upon work supported under an Integrated University Program Graduate Fellowship. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy. This paper has been reviewed and released under LA-UR-20-23722.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA

    Jessica L. Bishop, Ryan Unger, Howard L. Hall & Maik Lang

  2. Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA

    Anthony M. Faiia, Anna Szynkiewicz & Howard L. Hall

  3. Institute for Nuclear Security, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA

    Howard L. Hall

  4. Chemistry Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA

    Jessica L. Bishop & John D. Auxier II

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  1. Jessica L. Bishop
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Correspondence to Maik Lang.

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Bishop, J.L., Unger, R., Faiia, A.M. et al. Thermal signatures of Cu metal revealed through oxygen isotope fractionation. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 326, 1653–1662 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-020-07456-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-020-07456-3

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