Polarons as Intriguing Building Blocks of the Enhanced Radiation Resistance in UO2
Résumé
During operation in nuclear plants, fissions, irradiation damage and fission products implantation occur in UO2 . Nevertheless, UO2 exhibits an exceptional resistance to changes in its crystalline structure and in its ceramics microstructure when compared to other compounds with similar structures. A peculiar feature of this compound is that large equilibrium concentrations of polarons exist at high temperature in UO2 , a phenomenon with no counterpart in most of the other fluorite structures. Large concentrations of polarons can actually affect the thermodynamic properties of a system in a significant way. In this paper we review some recent experimental results on UO2 , discuss how polarons may have a beneficial effect on its radiation resistance and, in particular, how their presence may affect the energy transfer mechanisms occurring during the slowing down of swift heavy ions in this system. Understanding the elementary mechanisms that promote radiation resistance of structural and functional materials is of paramount importance for engineering new materials able to withstand severe radiation environments. Materials displaying high concentrations of polarons at high temperature (and, more generally, those with the ability to accept significant dynamic structural disorder) may be an interesting class of systems with enhanced resistance to radiation.