Research Progress on Oxidative Corrosion for Uranium and Uranium-Niobium Alloys in Moist Environments
DING Qian1, LI Haibo1, LIAO Junsheng2,*
1 Science and Technology on Surface Physics and Chemistry Laboratory, Mianyang 621700, Sichuan, China 2 Institute of Material Science, Chinese Academic of Engineering and Physics, Mianyang 621700, Sichuan, China
Abstract: Uranium and uranium alloys are important materials for the nuclear industry, which are widely used in the fields of defense science and technology and nuclear energy. Uranium metal is highly susceptible to oxidation during storage due to its high chemical reactivity, resulting a decline of mechanical properties and nuclear reaction performance. And it is more prone to failure, especially when H2O exists. As an important type of uranium alloy material, uranium-niobium alloy has decent corrosion resistance. Unfortunately, it is still difficult to avoid surface oxidative corrosion during long-term storage. After decades of research at home and abroad, the corrosion law of uranium materials in typical atmospheres has been relatively clear, but consensus on the in-depth understanding of the corrosive mechanism has not entirely been reached yet. This paper summarizes and concludes the research work on the corrosive behavior of uranium and uranium-niobium alloys in humid environments such as anoxic and oxygenated water vapor. The corrosive mechanisms at each reaction stage are discussed and reviewed. Finally, we provide research perspectives on several controversial scientific issues, including the oxidative kinetics of uranium and uranium-niobium alloys in moist atmospheres, the adsorption and dissociation of H2O and O2 on the surface of uranium materials, the microscopic diffusion mechanisms and the evolution of intermediates such as UH3.
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