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Preparation and Characterization of 17 O‐Enriched Alumina for Nuclear Fusion Damage Experiments
Author(s) -
Kim HyounEe,
Zinkle Steven J.,
Allen William R.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of the american ceramic society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.9
H-Index - 196
eISSN - 1551-2916
pISSN - 0002-7820
DOI - 10.1111/j.1151-2916.1990.tb06529.x
Subject(s) - fabrication , materials science , ceramic , characterization (materials science) , flexural strength , aluminium , grain size , radiochemistry , fusion power , composite material , chemistry , nanotechnology , nuclear physics , medicine , alternative medicine , plasma , physics , pathology
Alumina enriched in 17 O was successfully fabricated from aluminum isopropoxide and water containing the 17 O isotope. This material was necessary for an experiment to study the radiation damage expected in alumina exposed to a nuclear fusion reactor environment. The enrichment levels of specimens subjected to different preparation schedules were measured using a nuclear reaction analysis technique. Replacement of the 17 O isotope in the ceramic by atmospheric oxygen occurred readily. Therefore, successful fabrication of suitably enriched alumina specimens required that all processing steps be performed under vacuum or inertgas environments. The optimum fabrication procedure produced enriched alumina specimens of >99.5% of theoretical density, ∽10‐μm grain size, and a flexural strength of 280 MPa.