Son J, Riechers SL, Yu XY. Microscale Electrochemical Corrosion of Uranium Oxide Particles.
Micromachines (Basel) 2023;
14:1727. [PMID:
37763890 PMCID:
PMC10537459 DOI:
10.3390/mi14091727]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the corrosion of spent nuclear fuel is important for the development of long-term storage solutions. However, the risk of radiation contamination presents challenges for experimental analysis. Adapted from the system for analysis at the liquid-vacuum interface (SALVI), we developed a miniaturized uranium oxide (UO2)-attached working electrode (WE) to reduce contamination risk. To protect UO2 particles in a miniatured electrochemical cell, a thin layer of Nafion was formed on the surface. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) shows a dense layer of UO2 particles and indicates their participation in electrochemical reactions. Particles remain intact on the electrode surface with slight redistribution. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) reveals a difference in the distribution of U(IV), U(V), and U(VI) between pristine and corroded UO2 electrodes. The presence of U(V)/U(VI) on the corroded electrode surface demonstrates that electrochemically driven UO2 oxidation can be studied using these cells. Our observations of U(V) in the micro-electrode due to the selective semi-permeability of Nafion suggest that interfacial water plays a key role, potentially simulating a water-lean scenario in fuel storage conditions. This novel approach offers analytical reproducibility, design flexibility, a small footprint, and a low irradiation dose, while separating the α-effect. This approach provides a valuable microscale electrochemical platform for spent fuel corrosion studies with minimal radiological materials and the potential for diverse configurations.
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