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Laser-induced thermal decomposition of uranium triiodide and ammonium uranium fluoride

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Abstract

Laser-induced heating is increasingly being used for rapid material processing. Here, the decomposition pathways of uranium triiodide and ammonium uranium fluoride during laser irradiation are reported. The experimental results are supported by a simplified predictive computational thermodynamics technique that provides estimation of the formation energetics of ammonium uranium fluoride. Results reveal rapid decomposition of material via laser heating with evolution of gaseous reaction products and formation of uranium metal from uranium iodide feedstock and uranium fluoride from ammonium uranium fluoride feedstock, respectively. This information can be exploited for processing of uranium precursors into desirable compounds for nuclear fuel cycle research.

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Acknowledgements

This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) under Contract No. DE-AC52–07NA27344. Project 18-SI-001 was funded by the LDRD Program at LLNL. The authors gratefully acknowledge sample preparation by the LLNL Materials Characterization and Processing Laboratory and theoretical discussion with Drs. Babak Sadigh, Kyoung Eun Kweon, and Nir Goldman at LLNL.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, 94550, USA

    Bradley C. Childs, Aiden A. Martin, Emily E. Moore, Tae Wook Heo, Aurélien Perron, Cherie Schaeffer-Cuellar, Andrew J. Swift, Chinthaka M. Silva, Kiel S. Holliday & Jason R. Jeffries

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  1. Bradley C. Childs
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  2. Aiden A. Martin
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Correspondence to Bradley C. Childs.

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Childs, B.C., Martin, A.A., Moore, E.E. et al. Laser-induced thermal decomposition of uranium triiodide and ammonium uranium fluoride. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 329, 1427–1437 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-021-07888-5

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