Chromium Doped UO₂-Based Ceramics: Synthesis and Characterization of Model Materials for Modern Nuclear Fuels

Cr-doped UO₂ as a modern nuclear fuel type has been demonstrated to increase the in-reactor fuel performance compared to conventional nuclear fuels. Little is known about the long-term stability of spent Cr-doped UO₂ nuclear fuels in a deep geological disposal facility. The investigation of suitable model materials in a step wise bottom-up approach can provide insights into the corrosion behavior of spent Cr-doped nuclear fuels. Here, we present new wet chemical approaches providing the basis for such model systems, namely co-precipitation and wet coating. Both were successfully tested and optimized, based on detailed analyses of all synthesis steps and parameters: Cr-doping method, thermal treatment, reduction of U₃O₈ to UO₂, green body production, and pellet sintering. Both methods enable the production of suitable model systems with a similar microstructure and density as a reference sample from AREVA. In comparison with results from the classical powder route, similar trends upon grain size and lattice parameter were determined. The results of this investigation highlight the significance of subtly different synthesis routes on the properties of Cr-doped UO₂ ceramics. They enable a reproducible tailor-made well-defined microstructure, a homogeneous doping, for example, with lanthanides or alpha sources, the introduction of metallic particles, and a dust-free preparation.