Electron backscatter diffraction of a plutonium–gallium alloy

An experimental technique has recently been developed to characterize reactive metals, including plutonium (Pu) and cerium, using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Microstructural characterization of Pu and its alloys by EBSD had been previously elusive primarily because of the extreme toxicity and rapid surface oxidation rate associated with Pu metal. The experimental technique, which included ion-sputtering the metal surface using a scanning Auger microprobe (SAM) followed by vacuum transfer of the sample from the SAM to the scanning electron microscope (SEM), used to obtain electron backscatter diffraction Kikuchi patterns and orientation maps for a Pu–gallium alloy is described and the initial microstructural observations based on the analysis are discussed. The phase transformation behavior between the δ (face-centered cubic) and ε (body-centered-cubic) structures is explained by combining the SEM and EBSD observations.