@article{hasan_beeler_2024, title={Calculation of grain boundary diffusion coefficients in γ U-Mo using atomistic simulations}, volume={598}, ISSN={["1873-4820"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2024.155190}, DOI={10.1016/j.jnucmat.2024.155190}, abstractNote={The γU-Mo alloy has been selected for the conversion of U.S. High-Performance Research Reactor (HPRR) fuel from highly enriched uranium to low enriched uranium as a part of the effort to reduce nuclear proliferation risks. Although γU-Mo alloys have the advantage of high uranium density and good overall irradiation performance, the irradiation-induced swelling and creep in the metal remain important design parameters since they influence the mechanical and thermal integrity of the fuel. To account for these design criteria, engineering scale models need fundamental properties, such as diffusion coefficients, as input. In this study, the diffusion of related species along grain boundaries in γU-Mo fuel is quantified considering that grain boundaries act as sinks for point defects, nucleation sites for gas bubbles, avenues for Coble creep, etc. The diffusivities of U and Mo in selected grain boundaries of γU-Mo alloys (γU-7Mo, γU-10Mo, and γU-12Mo) are obtained utilizing molecular dynamics simulations for a temperature range of 600 K - 1200 K with an interval of 100 K. The structures analyzed include symmetric tilt, asymmetric tilt, and twist grain boundaries. The grain boundary diffusion coefficients of U and Mo in the examined γU-Mo alloys are on the order of 10−14 to 10−11 m2 s−1. It is observed that the U diffusivity in the grain boundary is higher than the Mo diffusivity in all cases and that the increase in Mo content of the alloy correlates to a decrease in the grain boundary diffusion. Xe diffusion along γU-10Mo grain boundaries is also calculated in this work, and the diffusivity of Xe in the γU-10Mo grain boundaries is found to be 8 to 15 orders of magnitude higher than the intrinsic Xe diffusivity in γU-10Mo depending on the temperature. The information gathered in this work can inform fuel swelling and creep models and help understand various other phenomena related to γU-Mo fuel performance.}, journal={JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS}, author={Hasan, A. T. M. Jahid and Beeler, Benjamin}, year={2024}, month={Sep} }
 @article{beeler_zhang_hasan_park_hu_mei_2022, title={Analyzing the effect of pressure on the properties of point defects in ?U-Mo through atomistic simulations (vol 15, pg 874. 2022)}, volume={12}, ISSN={["2059-8521"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1557/s43580-022-00436-7}, DOI={10.1557/s43580-022-00436-7}, journal={MRS ADVANCES}, author={Beeler, Benjamin and Zhang, Yongfeng and Hasan, A. T. M. Jahid and Park, Gyuchul and Hu, Shenyang and Mei, Zhi-Gang}, year={2022}, month={Dec} }
 @article{beeler_zhang_hasan_park_hu_mei_2022, title={Analyzing the effect of pressure on the properties of point defects in gamma U-Mo through atomistic simulations}, volume={10}, ISSN={["2059-8521"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1557/s43580-022-00350-y}, DOI={10.1557/s43580-022-00350-y}, abstractNote={Abstract Uranium–molybdenum (U–Mo) alloys in monolithic fuel foil are the primary candidate for the conversion of high-performance research reactors in the USA. Monolithic fuel is utilized in a plate-type design with a zirconium diffusion barrier and aluminum cladding. These fuel types are unique in that they contain no plenum for the release of fission gases, which, in conjunction with the aluminum cladding, can lead to large stress states within the fuel. The nature of how fundamental processes of radiation damage, including the evolution of point defects, under such stresses occur is unknown. In this work, we present molecular dynamics simulations of the formation energy of point defects under applied stress. This work will allow for the implementation of stress-dependent microstructural evolution models of nuclear fuels, including those for both fission gas bubble growth and creep, which are critical to ensure the stable and predictable behavior of research reactor fuels. Graphical abstract}, journal={MRS ADVANCES}, author={Beeler, Benjamin and Zhang, Yongfeng and Hasan, A. T. M. Jahid and Park, Gyuchul and Hu, Shenyang and Mei, Zhi-Gang}, year={2022}, month={Oct} }