Thermophysical properties of perovskite type alkaline-earth metals and plutonium complex oxides

Abstract

Polycrystalline specimens of strontium plutonate, SrPuO3, have been prepared by mixing the appropriate amounts of PuO2 and SrCO3 powders followed by reacting and sintering at 1600K under the flowing gas atmosphere of dry-air. The sintered specimens had a single phase of orthorhombic perovskite structure and were crack-free. The elastic moduli of SrPuO3 were determined from the longitudinal and shear sound velocities. The Debye temperature was also determined from the sound velocities and lattice parameter measurements. The thermal conductivity of SrPuO3 was calculated from the measured density at room temperature, literature values of heat capacity, and thermal diffusivity measured by laser flash method in vacuum. Although the thermal conductivity of SrPuO3 slightly decreased with increasing temperature to 800K, the range of change was extremely narrow and the temperature dependence did not completely follow the 1/T law. The thermal conductivity of SrPuO3 was lower than those of other perovskite type oxides.