Reduction of FCCI effects in lanthanide–iron diffusion couples by doping with palladium

Abstract Fast-reactor metallic fuels produce lanthanide fission products which have been shown to diffuse to the fuel periphery. Lanthanides interacting with the cladding is one cause of fuel-cladding chemical interaction. To test the viability of reducing the interaction by pinning these lanthanides, palladium was chosen as a fuel dopant based on the lanthanide–palladium intermetallic thermodynamic stability and fuel compatibility. Three lanthanides were tested, neodymium, cerium, and praseodymium, along with their 1:1 palladium compounds, against iron using diffusion couples. These experiments show the direct contact effect on iron of each lanthanide and its respective palladium compound at temperatures from 580 °C to 700 °C for 100 h.