Boro/carbothermal reduction synthesis of uranium tetraboride and its oxidation behavior in dry air

Abstract

AbstractUranium tetraboride (UB4) was successfully synthesized by boro/carbothermal reduction of UO2 with B4C and carbon as combined reduction agents under flowing argon. The effects of processing temperature and mole ratios of starting materials on phase evolution were studied. XRD results demonstrated that UB4 was obtained with 3.75 mol% B4C in excess based on the UO2/B4C/C molar ratios of 1:1:1 at 1500°C. SEM observation revealed that submicrometer‐sized quasi‐spherical UB4 particles cemented together to be an aggregate. The laser particle size analysis showed that the particle size was in the range of 1‐10 μm. The oxidation behavior of UB4 was also investigated by TG and XRD. The oxidation of UB4 started at about 500°C and it showed better oxidation resistance than other basic uranium nuclear fuels (UO2, UC, UN and U3Si2). The oxidation chemical process of UB4 was presented as a three‐step process: (a) the formation of U3O8 and B2O3 oxidation products; (b) the formation of UB2O6 intermediate product by the interaction of U3O8 and B2O3; (c) the decomposition of UB2O6 to get U3O8.