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Gas generation from water adsorbed onto pure plutonium dioxide powder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2011

Kirk Veirs*
Affiliation:
[email protected], Los Alamos National Laboratory, Nuclear Materials Technology, PO Box 1663, MS E505, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, United States, 5056679291
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Abstract

The production of H2 from alpha-particle radiolysis of water adsorbed onto plutonium dioxide powders has been studied. Plutonium dioxide powders with specific surface areas of 1.0 and 21 m2/g were used. The specific surface area strongly affects the amount of water adsorbed. At water coverage between 1 and 2 monolayers the H2 yield per unit of energy deposited into the water is found to be between 0.05 and 0.13 molecules of H2 per 100 eV adsorbed dose (5 to 12 nmols/s W). The H2 yield increases to between 0.29 and 0.58 molecules per 100 eV adsorbed dose (28 to 56 nmol/s W) when the number of adsorbed monolayers of water is between 10 and 20. The latter H2 yield is similar to that of liquid water of 0.45 molecules per 100 eV adsorbed dose

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2006

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References

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