Vigier Jean-François, Freis Daniel, Pöml Philipp, Prieur Damien, Lajarge Patrick, Gardeur Sébastien, Guiot Antony, Bouëxière Daniel, Konings Rudy J M
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), P.O. Box 2340, 76125 Karlsruhe , Germany.
Inorg Chem. 2018 Apr 16;57(8):4317-4327. doi: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.7b03148. Epub 2018 Mar 23.
Americium 241 is a potential alternative to plutonium 238 as an energy source for missions into deep space or to the dark side of planetary bodies. In order to use the Am isotope for radioisotope thermoelectric generator or radioisotope heating unit (RHU) production, americium materials need to be developed. This study focuses on the stabilization of a cubic americium oxide phase using uranium as the dopant. After optimization of the material preparation, (AmUNpPu)O has been successfully synthesized to prepare a 2.96 g pellet containing 2.13 g of Am for fabrication of a small scale RHU prototype. Compared to the use of pure americium oxide, the use of uranium-doped americium oxide leads to a number of improvements from a material properties and safety point of view, such as good behavior under sintering conditions or under alpha self-irradiation. The mixed oxide is a good host for neptunium (i.e., the Am daughter element), and it has improved safety against radioactive material dispersion in the case of accidental conditions.
镅241作为一种能源，有望替代钚238，用于深空任务或行星体暗面探测。为了将镅同位素用于放射性同位素热电发生器或放射性同位素加热装置（RHU）的生产，需要开发镅材料。本研究聚焦于使用铀作为掺杂剂来稳定立方氧化镅相。在优化材料制备后，成功合成了(AmUNpPu)O，以制备一个含2.13克镅的2.96克小球，用于制造小型RHU原型。与使用纯氧化镅相比，从材料性能和安全性角度来看，使用掺杂铀的氧化镅带来了诸多改进，比如在烧结条件下或α自辐照下表现良好。这种混合氧化物是镎（即镅的子元素）的良好宿主，并且在意外情况下，它提高了防止放射性物质扩散的安全性。
