Studying radiotoxic materials by high temperature X-ray diffraction

Abstract High Temperature X-Ray Diffraction (HT-XRD) is a powerful means of performing in situ experiments and provides the opportunity to observe the behavior of materials under the influence of variables such as temperature, pressure and chemical potential as well as phase transformation kinetics. Investigating nuclear materials is intrinsically highly challenging. In particular, studying transuranium actinide compounds requires complying with stringent safety and non proliferation rules, handling materials with caution and limiting material losses due to their scarcity and radiotoxicity. In this article, the advantages of using HT-XRD to characterize actinide materials are presented through some of our recent studies.