The Focused Ion Beam-SEM as a Critical Tool For Nano-scale Characterization of Highly Radioactive Nuclear Fuels

Abstract

There are unique challenges associated with conducting nanometer and atomic level materials characterization on highly irradiated and/or radiologically contaminated nuclear reactor fuels and structural materials, where contact handling is not feasible with the high levels of ionizing radiation emitted. Historically, particularly for irradiated nuclear fuel, samples could only be prepared remotely in heavily shielded facilities that precluded the fine contact work needed to prepare usable, let alone high quality, transmission electron microscopy thin foils and atom probe tomography (APT) tips. Thus, most published data on irradiated fuels detail micron level characterization (optical and SEM) and little information is available on nanometer and atomic level structure and chemistry.