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Effect of palladium on the microstructure and grain boundary complexions in SiC
Author(s) -
NavarroSolís David J.,
CancinoTrejo Félix,
LópezHonorato Eddie
Publication year - 2019
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/jace.16622
Subject(s) - microstructure , grain boundary , materials science , electron backscatter diffraction , diffusion , grain boundary diffusion coefficient , fission products , metallurgy , mineralogy , chemistry , thermodynamics , radiochemistry , physics
One of the main challenges in the study of TRISO (Tristructural Isotropic) coated fuel particles is the understanding of the diffusion of fission products through SiC. Among the elements produced inside the uranium kernel, it has been suggested that Pd might enhance the diffusion of other fission products. In this work, we have studied the interaction between Pd and SiC. We have observed that as Pd diffuses it can change the chemical composition and microstructure of SiC. Electron Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD) analysis showed that Pd increased the amount of high angle grain boundaries from 47% to 59%. Furthermore, we have observed that as Pd diffused, it changed the composition of SiC by leaving a trail of excess carbon at the grain boundary. This change in localized chemical composition and microstructure suggests a grain boundary complexion transition induced by Pd and a new way in which Pd can lead to faster diffusion routes for other fission products.