X-ray diffraction analysis of uranium tritide after aging for 420 days

Uranium tritide aging leads to continuous creation of decayed product 3He, vacancies, vacancy clusters, self interstitials, dislocations and helium bubbles. These defects result in the changes of material properties such as degradation of tritium storage, swelling, hardening and intergranular embrittlement. In our previous study, a simple hermetic sample holder that fits the Philip X’Pert Pro X-ray diffractometer has been developed for X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of uranium hydride. In order to help resolve unknowns regarding aging effects of uranium during long-term storage of tritium, XRD techniques with the hermetic method are applied to obtain the structural changes of aged uranium tritide. XRD analysis of uranium tritide aged for 420 days have shown that noticeable peak shifts appear in the diffraction patterns of uranium tritide, which indicate lattice distortion occurrence during the formation and growth of helium bubbles and other associated defects.