About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Material Responses Investigated Through Novel In-Situ Experiments and Modeling
|
| Presentation Title |
Tracking Cerium Oxidation Pathways via In-Situ Atom Probe Tomography |
| Author(s) |
Josephine C. Hartmann, Dallin J. Barton, Dallas D. Reilly, Sten V. Lambeets, Daniel E. Perea, Elizabeth J. Kautz |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Josephine C. Hartmann |
| Abstract Scope |
Tracking the oxidation behavior of reactive actinide materials is essential for nuclear safeguards and forensic investigations. Cerium (Ce), commonly used as a non-radioactive surrogate for plutonium (Pu), exhibits similar chemical properties including rapid oxidation and pyrophoric tendencies. To gain a detailed understanding of Ce metal oxidation behavior, in-situ atom probe tomography (APT) was employed. Ce specimens were exposed to 10-5 mbar 16O2 gas at fixed intervals of 2, 5, and 10 minutes at room temperature (25 °C), enabling time-resolved observations of oxidation processes with near-atomic resolution. The in-situ APT approach allowed for the direct visualization and quantification of oxygen ingress and evolution from metal to oxide phases in real time. How insights into Ce oxidation behavior gained from these experiments can be extended to predict Pu behavior under analogous conditions will be discussed. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Characterization, Other, Other |