Onset Of Oxidation Research Articles

Photoelectrocatalytic conversion of urea under solar illumination using Ni decorated Ti-Fe2O3 electrodes

To reduce the energy cost and environmental impact of biological nitrogen removal in wastewater treatment plants, it would be advantageous to treat urea contained in urine at the source. In this perspective, FTO/Ti-Fe2O3 (nanorods) photoelectrodes decorated with Ni as catalyst are developed and tested for urea photoelectrocatalytic oxidation under solar illumination. Gains up to 0.50 V in oxidation onset potential vs. metallic Ni are obtained thanks to a Ni photoelectrodeposition method. In situ transmission measurements (based on NiOOH light absorption) during electrochemical cycling allowed to evaluate the state of active Ni sites and confirmed that urea oxidation mechanism is of EC type. Photoelectrolyses give faradaic efficiencies of 10–18% and 9-35% for N2 and O2 formation, respectively. A significant and unexpected NO2− production (∼65%) is detected indicating another or incomplete reaction pathway. The photoelectrocatalytic removal of nitrogen from urea solutions is demonstrated but requires catalysts with higher selectivity towards N2.

Oxidative stress responses as a marker of toxicity in mice exposed to polluted groundwater from an automobile junk market in South-Western Nigeria.

The global trade in used vehicles and their components generates huge financial benefits but leads to detrimental environmental consequences including groundwater pollution and potential adverse health effects mediated by free-radical processes such as lipid peroxidation. We investigated oxidative stress responses in thirty-six, female mice orally exposed (via drinking) to graded concentrations (0%, 50%, and 100%) of groundwater from a well located within a major automobile junk market in SW-Nigeria containing extremely high levels of arsenic (0.332 ± 0.089mg/l) and seventeen PAHs, which serves as domestic water supply. Blood samples from the mice were assayed for selected biochemical parameters at intervals of 7, 14, and 28days. A significant dose- and duration-dependent increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) and Myeloperoxidase (MPO) confirmed oxidative stress onset due to exposure to the polluted well-water, while a significant decline in nitric oxide (NO-) levels may suggest impaired endothelial smooth-muscle relaxation which may lead to the development of metabolic diseases over time. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and reduced glutathione (GSH) showed a contrasting trend with Glutathione peroxidase (GPx), while Glutathione-S-Transferase (GST) declined significantly by the 28th day. Two clusters were identified by principal component analysis-one involving MDA, SOD, and GSH suggesting that antioxidant responses driven mainly by SOD and GSH proved insufficient in scavenging the free radicals generated by lipid peroxidation. NO- and total protein clustered together possibly due to the significant declines in both over the study period. Histological examination of liver tissue of exposed mice corroborated the above findings and highlights the need for urgent remedial action.

Influence of oxygen addition on the oxidation resistance of TiAlN

Here, we explore the effect of O-addition on the oxidation resistance of TiAlN coatings by experimental and theoretical methods. Due to the retarded transformation of anatase to rutile TiO2, Ti0.41Al0.59(O0.08N0.92)1.02 with the raised oxidation onset temperature and slow oxidation process reveals improved oxidation resistance than Ti0.42Al0.58N0.95. Further ab initio calculations attribute the optimization to the preferential adsorption of oxygen to form the protective Al2O3 phase and suppressed formation of metastable a-TiO2 phase in the initial stage of oxidation. However, both experimental and calculated results reveal that further increasing oxygen content to Ti0.41Al0.59(O0.12N0.88)1.06 shows the rapid transformation of TiO2 accompanied with the cracking of the protective Al-oxide rich top-layer, which tremendously deteriorates the oxidation resistance. After oxidation at 800 °C for 30 h, Ti0.42Al0.58N0.95, Ti0.41Al0.59(O0.08N0.92)1.02 and Ti0.41Al0.59(O0.12N0.88)1.06 coatings present oxide layers of ∼953, ∼640 and ∼971 nm, respectively.

Ni2P Nanoparticle-Inserted Porous Layered NiO Hetero-Structured Nanosheets as a Durable Catalyst for the Electro-Oxidation of Urea.

The electro-oxidation of urea (EOU) is a remarkable but challenging sustainable technology, which largely needs a reduced electro-chemical potential, that demonstrates the ability to remove a notable harmful material from wastewater and/or transform the excretory product of humans into treasure. In this work, an Ni2P-nanoparticle-integrated porous nickel oxide (NiO) hetero-structured nanosheet (Ni2P@NiO/NiF) catalyst was synthesized through in situ acid etching and a gas-phase phosphating process. The as-synthesized Ni2P@NiO/NiF catalyst sample was then used to enhance the electro-oxidation reaction of urea with a higher urea oxidation response (50 mA cm−2 at 1.31 V vs. RHE) and low onset oxidation potential (1.31 V). The enhanced activity of the Ni2P@NiO/NiF catalyst was mainly attributed to effective electron transport after Ni2P nanoparticle insertion through a substantial improvement in active sites due to a larger electrochemical surface area, and a faster diffusion of ions occurred via the interactive sites at the interface of Ni2P and NiO; thus, the structural reliability was retained, which was further evidenced by the low charge transfer resistance. Further, the Ni2P nanoparticle insertion process into the NiO hetero-structured nanosheets effectively enabled a synergetic effect when compared to the counter of the Ni2P/NiF and NiO/NiF catalysts. Finally, we demonstrate that the as-synthesized Ni2P@NiO/NiF catalyst could be a promising electrode for the EOU in urea-rich wastewater and human urine samples for environmental safety management. Overall, the Ni2P@NiO/NiF catalyst electrode combines the advantages of the Ni2P catalyst, NiO nanosheet network, and NiF current collector for enhanced EOU performance, which is highly valuable in catalyst development for environmental safety applications.

Nickel improving the combustion of boron powder

Boron (B) powder has a very high energy density and is often used as an additive to solid propellants. However, its high melting point and the presence of oxide film on its surface make it more difficult to ignition and incomplete combustion. This problem can be effectively improved by the addition of other metal particles. Therefore, nickel-modified boron-based complexes (B/Ni) were prepared by adding nickel (Ni) nanoparticles to the B powder. The effect of different Ni contents on the ignition and combustion of B powder was investigated. The appropriate addition amount of Ni nanoparticles to B powder can significantly decrease the onset oxidation temperature, and effectively increase the exothermic heat, but it has little effect on the maximum combustion intensity of B powder. The addition of Ni nanoparticles changes the reaction path of B and promotes its oxidation. These results may provide a reference for the application of Ni nanoparticles in boron-based solid propellants.

Electrosynthesis of eco-friendly electrocatalyst based nickel-copper bimetallic nanoparticles supported on poly-phenylenediamine with highest current density and early ethanol oxidation onset potential

Bimetallic catalysts have been investigated as the most efficient materials to accelerate the chemical transformations at the anode in Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells. A comparative study is presented here to synthesize Ni–Cu bimetallic nanoparticles for the ethanol oxidation reaction on three conducting polymers: poly-ortho-phenylenediamine, poly-meta-phenylenediamine, and poly-para-phenylenediamine. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) were used to analyze the modified electrodes. A series of bimetallic Ni–Cu nanoparticles with tunable ratios were successfully synthesized by simply changing the concentrations of Nickel and Copper. It has been confirmed that the best Ni/Cu molar ratio was 25% in the aspect of catalytic performance. The electrocatalyst exhibited an excellent catalytic activity with an anodic current of 70.5 mA cm−2 at the lowest onset potential of 0.39 V with impressive stability. Ni4Cu1/PpPD should be considered as a good alternative to noble metal anode catalyst.

Simple Synthesis of Conjugated Polymers Enabled via Pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyrroles

Accessing conjugated polymers suitable for applications ranging from organic photovoltaics to bioelectronics through simple synthetic protocols is desirable for the conjugated polymer community, as many polymer systems that meet device performance metrics require arduous synthetic protocols. To simplify and minimize monomer and polymer synthetic steps, a dibrominated dihydropyrrolopyrrole was synthesized in air using a single synthetic step and did not require column chromatography for purification. Subsequently, the first example of an electron-rich pyrrolopyrrole monomer being polymerized is accomplished via direct arylation polymerization using a dioxythiophene comonomer to access an alternating copolymer in a total of three synthetic steps. The resulting copolymer exhibits absorbance in the high-energy portion of the visible spectrum in solution and the solid state, a relatively low onset of oxidation (∼0.6 V vs Ag/AgCl), and yellow-to-black electrochromism. Finally, the synthetic complexity is calculated, and the pyrrolopyrrole-co-dioxythiophene polymer is less synthetically complex when compared to many conjugated polymers that find applicability in organic photovoltaics and electrochromism. These findings demonstrate the viability of incorporating dihydropyrrolopyrroles into the repeat unit structure of conjugated polymers via metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions and highlight their potential to offer a synthetically simple alternative to current state-of-the-art conjugated polymers.

Strain-induced strengthening in superconducting β-Mo2C through high pressure and high temperature

High-strain-induced microstructural refinement and dislocations are critical for the strengthening of metallic materials; however, this is difficult to achieve in ceramic materials due to their unique bonding characteristics and electronic structure. Here, a series of β-Mo2C bulk ceramics are consolidated by the high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) strategy. Our results demonstrate that high strain-induced grain plastic deformation at high pressure produces a lamellar sub-grain structure with high-density dislocations, and that the dislocations at the lath-like grain boundaries eventually evolve into low-angle grain boundaries. The mechanical properties, superconducting behavior, and onset of oxidation of the specimens are investigated. It is found that superconductivity and hardness arise from the high density of states at the Fermi level, while the high intrinsic hardness is attributed to the strong hybridization between Mo-4d orbitals and C-2p orbitals. Furthermore, strain-induced defect structure (dislocations and low-angle grain boundaries) mainly mainly enhances the intrinsic structure of β-Mo2C.

Optimized design of environmentally-friendly polydopamine nanoparticles for the stabilization of both thermo- and photo-oxidation of polypropylene: Size effects

Despite the huge success of commercial stabilizers (antioxidants, UV absorbers, etc.) on the functionality enhancement and lifetime prolonging of polymers, their toxicity on the environment has been raising severe concerns. Therefore, producing environmentally benign stabilizers via green chemistry has been attracting researchers’ attention. In this work, we demonstrated the potential of mussel-inspired polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA-NPs) with intrinsic biocompatibility for the enhancement of both thermo- and photo-oxidation stability of polypropylene (PP). The effects of PDA-NPs size on the antioxidative performance of PP were systematically explored. PDA-NPs with different sizes of 471 nm, 284 nm, and 98 nm were synthesized first by tuning the pH values of initial dopamine solutions. The antioxidation ability of PDA-NPs for PP increased remarkably with the decreasing size, which was attributed to a higher specific area and more available semiquinone structure of smaller PDA-NPs. Compared with pure PP, the oxidation induction time (OIT) and onset thermal decomposition temperature of optimized PP composites can be increased significantly from 9.8 min to 26.0‍‍ min by 165% with the addition of only 0.5 wt% PDA-NP (98 nm), while the thermo- and photo-oxidative degree (formation of carbonyl products) on the surface can be decreased by 53% and 92% at most, respectively. However, the dependence of UV protection ability of PDA-NPs for PP on their size is non-monotonic. As indicated by cross-sectional fluorescence and modulus imaging, the shallowest degradation depth was observed for PP composites with the PDA-NP size of 284 nm other than that of 98 nm. These results have demonstrated the feasibility of PDA-NPs as robust stabilizers and the importance of size design for optimizing the anti-aging efficiency of PDA-NPs, providing valuable insights into the development of multifunctional stabilizers for environmental sustainability.

On the influence of the Cr/(Cr + Ta) ratio on the microstructure, mechanical properties and thermal stability of magnetron sputtered CrxTa1-xN coatings

CrxTa1-xN coatings were deposited by magnetron sputtering and the influence of the Cr/(Cr + Ta) ratio on microstructure, mechanical properties, thermal stability and oxidation resistance was investigated. X-ray diffraction revealed that all coatings exhibit an fcc-CrxTa1-xN crystal structure with an increasing size of coherently diffracting domains as the Cr/(Cr + Ta) ratio increases. A balanced Cr/(Cr + Ta) ratio of 0.46 results in the highest hardness of 27.4 ± 1.0 GPa, whereas binary fcc-TaN was determined to have the highest Young's modulus of 417 ± 20 GPa. All Ta-containing coatings exhibit a KIC value of 2.40 ± 0.10 MPa × m1/2 and thus exceed the fracture toughness of CrN (1.53 ± 0.21 MPa × m1/2). While vacuum annealing at 1000 °C already provokes a decomposition of the binaries, N-deficient compounds only form in the ternaries at temperatures ≥1200 °C. The oxidation onset and end temperature as well as the phase composition of the oxides were found to depend significantly on the Cr/(Cr + Ta) ratio. Among the investigated coatings, Cr0.75Ta0.25N exhibits the most promising thermal stability, both in inert and oxidizing atmosphere.

Optical, electrochemical and DFT studies of donor-acceptor typed indole derivatives

The donor-acceptor type indole chromophore motif presents an interesting molecular architecture to the scientific world, unfortunately, as in every special and beautiful formation needed; their synthesis represents a synthesis challenge. In the current search, new donor-acceptor typed indole derivatives, 1-methyl-phenyl-3-aldehyde indole (HAN-1), 2-((1-methyl-2-phenyl-1H-indol-3-yl)methylene)malononitrile (HAN-2), 1-ethyl-2-phenyl-3-aldehyde indole (HAN-3), 2-((1-ethyl-2-phenyl-1H-indol-3-yl)methylene)malononitrile (HAN-4) were successfully synthesized and the results supported with FTIR and NMR spectra analysis. All the molecules undergo excited state intramolecular electron transfer with unique charge transfer reaction. Their electrochemical and optical properties were investigated in relation to the acceptor effect of functional groups on the indole units in the conjugated structure. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations exhibited that higher electron withdrawing ability strength resulted in decreased HOMO-LUMU gaps of the molecules. Futhermore, donor acceptor typed indole derivatives undergo irreversibly one electron oxidation in the medium of 0.1 M TBAPF6/ACN solution with a similar onset oxidation potentials. Both experimental and theoretical studies showed that the electron withdrawing ability of the molecules affect more LUMO energy level of the molecules. Moreover, they suggest that donor acceptor indole molecules herein are potential candidates for fabrication of dye synthesized solar cells.

Sustainable Synthesis of Dual Single‐Atom Catalyst of PdN4/CuN4 for Partial Oxidation of Ethylene Glycol

AbstractCatalysts assumed that properly designed bimetallic systems would provide superior catalytic performance due to the cooperative effects between two atoms. Dual single‐atom catalyst (DSAC) PdN4/CuN4 is synthesized using a simple, cost‐effective, and efficient electrochemical reduction method. The palladium single‐atom is prepared first by electrochemical reduction of copper phthalocyanine to create defective N4 sites. The new structural feature is characterized by copper reduction from Cu‐N4 coordination and the formation of defected N4 (▫M‐N4) sites, which react with a Pd precursor and form PdN4 on the host surface. The DSAC PdN4/CuN4 technique synergistically improves electrocatalytic performance toward the ethylene glycol oxidation reaction. It possesses excellent glycolate selectivity (above 88%) in an alkaline solution with an onset oxidation potential as low as 0.6 V versus a reversible hydrogen electrode, compared to commercial Pd/C. The DSAC electrocatalyst is characterized by its high current density of 83.92 mA cm−2 and high faradic efficiency value (>80%) for glycolate at 1.0 VRHE. The findings suggest a promising method to synthesize the DSACs in varying transition metals to achieve highly efficient, selective, and environmentally friendly catalysts for different applications.

Enhanced performance of bio-lubricant properties with nano-additives for sustainable lubrication

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the potentials of nano-additives in enhancement of oxidation and thermal stability of biolubricants thereby, improving the resistance of dispersed nanolubricants to thermal degradation under elevated temperature.Design/methodology/approachThis study evaluates the oxidation stability and tribological performance of nano-enhanced biolubricants. Graphene and maghemite nanoparticles at 0.1% volume concentration were dispersed into coconut oil. Oxidation stability was analysed using a thermal analyser to understand the effect of nano-additives on thermal degradation of lubricants under increasing temperature. In addition, tribological performance and viscosity of the tested lubricants were evaluated using a four-ball friction tester and viscometer according to American Society for Testing and Materials standards.FindingsThe results reveal that the oxidation stability of biolubricants dispersed with nano-additives improves due to delayed thermal degradation. The nano-enhanced biolubricants’ oxidation onset temperature was delayed by 18.75 °C and 37.5 °C, respectively, for maghemite (MGCO) and graphene (XGCO) nanolubricants. This improvement imparts the performance viscosity and tribological performance positively. For graphene-enhanced nanolubricant, 10.4% and 5.6% were reduced, respectively, in coefficient of friction (COF)and wear scar diameter (WSD), whereas 3.43% and 4.3% reduction in COF and WSD, respectively, for maghemite-enhanced nanolubricant compared with coconut oil. The viscosity index of nanolubricants was augmented by 7.36% and 13.85%, respectively, for maghemite and graphene nanolubricants.Research limitations/implicationsThe excellent performance of nanolubricants makes them suitable candidate as sustainable lubricants for machining with regard to environmental benefits and energy saving.Originality/valueThe effect of graphene and maghemite nanoparticles on the oxidation stability and tribological performance of biolubricants has been investigated. It is an original work and yet to be published elsewhere.

Friction and wear improvement by using Curcumin as a natural additive in green lubricants

Lubrication is an essential mechanism to make machines and engines more efficient by lowering friction and wear. Despite this, to mitigate environmental damage, lubricants must come from renewable sources and be biodegradables. Therefore, this study analyzed the use of Curcumin as a natural additive in two green oils to improve their tribological and oxidative performance. The density and viscosity of lubricants with and without curcumin additive, as well as the lubrication regime, were determined. The operational performance was analyzed by tribological tests under a ball-on-disk configuration at 100°C based on the ASTM G99. The oxidative behavior of lubricants was examined by studying the IR bands for primary and secondary oxidative products, as well as by DSC-TGA techniques for evaluating the Oxidation Onset Temperature and the thermogravimetric behavior. At the studied conditions, the incorporation of Curcumin into the oils increased the viscosity of the lubricants up to 46%, the friction coefficient decreased up to 70%, and wear was diminished up to 96%, despite working in boundary lubrication. Moreover, the addition of curcumin noticeably enhanced the oxidation behavior of lubricants. The results of this research suggest that Curcumin is an excellent option to improve the physical properties, operational performance, and oxidative stability of green oils to create effective and environmentally friendly lubricants.

Effect of V-type crystallinity and starch particle structure on the oil loading capacity and anti-oxidation

Starch-based carriers have a great potential in functional oil encapsulation because of their mild preparation conditions, but the oil loading capacity and underlying anti-oxidation mechanism remain unclear. Here V-type starches were applied to fabricate flaxseed oil powder. Particle size analysis and scanning electron microscopy showed a loose aggregation microstructure of normal maize starch (NMS) prepared using the anti-solvent (AS) precipitation method, with an average size of 24.9 μm. Differential scanning calorimetry displayed a good thermo-oxidation resistance of NMS-derived V-type starch prepared via AS precipitation. Principal component analysis revealed that the oil loading capacity, related closely to V-type crystallinity and D50, has a significant positive correlation with the onset oxidation temperature and a negative correlation with the peroxide, thiobarbituric acid, and ρ-anisidine values. Our original study reveals the effects of V-type crystallinity and aggregation microstructure on the oil loading capacity and anti-oxidation, providing theoretical guidance for developing novel, starch-based carriers.

Availability of PLA/SIS blends for packaging and medical applications.Part II: Contribution of stabilizer agents

The extending material durability of poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/styrene-isoprene-styrene copolymer (SIS) blend with 30% of SIS by the presence of acrylic acid (AA) and two stabilizers, caffeic acid or vanillic acid, is evaluated by γ-irradiation at technological doses (25 or 50 kGy) applied for sterilization or for the manufacturing of several commodities, medical, and packaging items, respectively, where an advanced exposure would affect the post-irradiation oxidation stability. The chemiluminescence investigations provide the onset oxidation temperature values from which the activation energies of degradation were calculated. Differential scanning calorimetry and infrared spectroscopy complete the evaluation of improvement efficiencies that characterize the thermal behavior of these materials. The effects of γ-exposure on the material properties are discussed relative to the radiolysis modifications occurred during radiation processing. The relevance of oxidation protectors is analyzed based on the efficient delay of ageing. The results are the qualification information for the packaging and medical products subjected to the radiation processing and radiation sterilization.

Normalization of the EOR catalytic efficiency measurements based on RRDE study for simply fabricated cost-effective Co/graphite electrode for DAEFCs

• Facile fabrication of low-cost and highly efficient Co/graphite electrocatalyst for direct alkaline ethanol fuel cells (DAEFC). • RRDE study for effective distinction between EOR and OER processes. • Normalized parameters for reliable measuring EOR catalytic efficiency. For the catalytic oxidation of ethanol (EtOH), Co is chronoamperometricaly deposited on graphite (G) from 0.05 M CoCl 2 solution with an optimum potential of −1.1 V for 1000 s. The optimum produced Co/G (opt.) electrode yields an ethanol oxidation onset potential (Et-E onset ) 1.43 V/RHE and a current density, I at 1.6 V/RHE = 26.58 mA.cm −2 at a scan rate of 50 mV.s -1 . Its cyclic voltammetry (CV) and rotating ring-disc (RRDE) responses, in solutions of 0.5 M NaOH without and with 1 M EtOH, show the priority of ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) rather than the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) or transformation of CoOOH to CoO 2 in the potential range 1.4 ≤ E ≤ 1.8 V/RHE. The RRDE responses are used to distinguish between EOR and OER currents in presence of ethanol. The present study includes sincere efforts to resolve the controversy about the measurement of the ethanol oxidation activity parameters. In addition, Co/G (opt.) electrode shows remarkable activity and stability for OER in absence of EtOH. Its overpotential required to achieve 10 mA.cm −2 ( η t = 0 ) is 0.38 V; while, after 24 h, (η t=24h ) is 0.40 V. These values are a noteworthy outcome for our easy and straightforward fabrication method for such an efficient EOR/OER electrocatalyst expending low-cost materials when compared with the previously published work.

Pt nanoparticles coupled with perylene-based small molecule deposited on Ti3+ self-doped TiO2 nanorods-An inorganic/organic type-II nanoheterostructure for efficient visible-light photoelectrochemical water oxidation.

In the work reported in this article, we have coupled Ti3+-self-doped TiO2 nanorods (NRs) with a newly synthesized tetrathiophene coupled perylene-based molecule (tThTMP) to form type-II inorganic/organic nanoheterostructures (NHs) for visible-light-driven water oxidation. The small organic molecule helps in better utilizing a wide range of the visible light spectrum, facilitates a faster delocalization of the photogenerated carriers at the inorganic/organic heterojunction, and exhibits improved photoelectrochemical performances. We have further decorated the NHs with platinum nanoparticles (NPs). The decoration of the Pt NPs significantly augments the various aspects of photoelectrochemical performances. The Pt NPs decorated NHs photoanode exhibits a photocurrent density of 0.83mA/cm2 at 1.23V vs. RHE (@10mV/s scan rate), a photoconversion efficiency of 0.26%, a substantial cathodic shift in the water oxidation onset potential and flat band potential, impressively reduced charge transfer resistance, improved photocarrier concentration, photovoltage, and stability.

Accelerated Photo‐Oxidation of Polyamide 11 Nanocomposites under Various Clays Nanofillers

AbstractThe effect of various clays nanofillers on the photo‐oxidation of polyamide 11 (PA11) has been investigated by accelerated ultraviolet (UV) test up to 780 h. Organo‐modified montmorillonite, halloysite nanotubes, and sepiolite were selected and incorporated separately to PA11 at 5 wt.%. The samples were prepared by melt compounding. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) data showed a linear increase of carbonyl index (CI) in the first 360 h of exposure indicating a rapid oxidation of all samples without any induction period. Further, the nanocomposite samples exhibit faster oxidation kinetics than PA11, being however less pronounced for PA11/sepiolite. This is consistent with both the yellowing index (YI) evolution determined by UV–Vis spectroscopy and also the onset oxidation temperature (OOT) determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).

Structure characterization and steam oxidation performance of U3Si2 with Zr alloying additions

Research and development of high uranium density fuels supports the on-going effort to enhance reactor technology, safety, performance, and economics. Among high uranium density fuels, U3Si2 is a favored fuel candidate due to its higher uranium density and improved thermal conductivity when compared to traditional UO2. While U3Si2 demonstrates an improved fuel economy, it suffers from rapid degradation when exposed to water at T > 300°C. In order for U3Si2 to be implemented in water cooled reactors, the water reaction must be understood and mitigated. Reported here is the performance of Zr alloying additions to U3Si2 exposed to high temperature steam oxidation environments. The investigation shows that homogenization heat treatment contributes to a delayed onset of oxidation and an improved homogeneity throughout the arc-melt fabricated alloyed compositions. Of the pre- and post-annealed samples, the post-annealed 7 vol% Zr addition exhibited the highest onset temperature of oxidation. A preliminary computational investigation to complement the experimental analysis assesses the solubility of Zr in U3Si2 and its incorporation in the crystal lattice.