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Fabrication of Uranium Dioxide Microspheres by Classic and Novel Sol-Gel Processes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 July 2014

A. Deptuła ,
M. Brykala ,
M. Rogowski ,
T. Smolinski ,
T. Olczak ,
W. Łada ,
D. Wawszczak ,
A. Chmielewski  and
K.C. Goretta
A. Deptuła
Affiliation:
Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, 16 Dorodna Street, 03-195 Warsaw, Poland
M. Brykala
Affiliation:
Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, 16 Dorodna Street, 03-195 Warsaw, Poland
M. Rogowski
Affiliation:
Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, 16 Dorodna Street, 03-195 Warsaw, Poland
T. Smolinski
Affiliation:
Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, 16 Dorodna Street, 03-195 Warsaw, Poland
T. Olczak
Affiliation:
Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, 16 Dorodna Street, 03-195 Warsaw, Poland
W. Łada
Affiliation:
Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, 16 Dorodna Street, 03-195 Warsaw, Poland
D. Wawszczak
Affiliation:
Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, 16 Dorodna Street, 03-195 Warsaw, Poland
A. Chmielewski
Affiliation:
Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, 16 Dorodna Street, 03-195 Warsaw, Poland
K.C. Goretta
Affiliation:
Air Force Research Laboratory, Arlington, VA 22203-1768, U.S.A.
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Abstract

Uranium dioxide (UO2) microspheres were fabricated by two sol-gel processes. First used was a classical process variant, as developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, consisting of (1) reduction of commercial uranyl to U(IV) nitrate; (2) preparation of a sol by precipitation of uranium hydroxide, its peptization, and solvent extraction of nitrates; and (3) gelation to microspheres by extraction of water through addition of a dewatered 2-ethyl-1-hexanol emulsion. Substantial improvement in microsphere production was achieved by application of a sol-gel process in which ascorbic acid was used as strong complexing agent. In this method, the reduction step was omitted and uranyl (VI) ascorbate sols/hydroxyl sols were formed from a suspension of either a uranium trioxide or a uranyl nitrate solution. Gelation through water extraction yielded perfect microspheres. Other metals can be easy added to these sols. Thermal treatment of the UO2 microspheres by calcination and reduction in hydrogen atmosphere was designed on the basis of differential thermal analysis and thermogravimetric analysis.

Keywords

sol-gelUactinide
Type
Articles
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1683: Symposium S – Actinides—Basic Science, Applications and Technology , 2014 , mrss14-1683-s04-04
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2014 

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