Modeling oxygen-void interactions in uranium nitride
Abstract
Oxygen impurities in uranium nitride (UN) are reported to influence its swelling behavior under irradiation, yet the underlying mechanism remains unknown. In this work, we develop a first-principles model that quantifies the interaction of oxygen with voids and fission gas bubbles in UN, leading to a reduction in surface energy that can promote swelling. The analysis reveals that segregation of substitutional oxygen at surface nitrogen sites is the primary driver of surface energy reduction, |
Fields of Study & Subjects
Nuclear Materials and Properties
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of Nuclear Materials
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Volume
- 633
- Pages
- 156983–156983
- Publication date
- 12 August 2026
- Language
- EN