Abstract:
The mechanism of diffusion of ion and chemical transformation rule on the formation of solid solution for UO
2-ZrO
2 were investigated by XRD patterns and SEM micrographs. The results show that ZrO
2 with UO
2 diffuses and reacts more easily than UO
2 with ZrO
2. The phase transformation of ZrO
2 from monoclinic to tetragonal enhances the formation of UO
2 solid solution. The structural evolution of pellet depends on the process of the atoms diffusing across the (U
xZr
1-x)O
2and (Zr
yU
1-y)O
2 layers and the reaction at the interface. The differences of cation radii and crystal structure result in that ZrO
2 can dissolve into UO
2 more than UO
2 into ZrO2, which leads the formation of solid solution mainly depends on the growth of UO
2 solid solution, and the ZrO
2 solid solution decreases gradually during the sintering process. The formation of solid solution is mainly the substitution of Zr
4+ for U
4+ via the schottky defect.