Filiform-mode hydride corrosion of uranium surfaces

Abstract Hydride nucleation and growth has previously been studied in uranium with an air-formed oxide. Preferred directional growth of uranium hydride has not been observed, presumably due to the constraint of the oxide layer and/or the presence of a surface layer distorted by mechanical grinding and polishing. Instead, hydrides typically first form as subsurface blisters that do not exhibit preferred growth directionality. By eliminating the strained surface layer through electropolishing, removing the natural oxide through ion sputtering, avoiding exposure of the uranium to air, and then exposing uranium to high purity hydrogen in an environmental cell, hydride growth patterns emerge that correspond to defect structures within the microstructure. These hydride growth patterns are similar to filiform corrosion, a type of corrosion that frequently forms under thin protective films. This work describes the first reported observation of filiform-like corrosion in uranium. The uranium hydride initiates at defects, but grows into filaments up to 20 μm wide, and tends to form in straight lines, largely propagating along twin boundaries. Propagation is driven by hydrogen reaction at the filament head, promoted by more efficient delivery of reactant. However, this phenomenon does not involve an electrochemical process associated with conventional filiform corrosion and is therefore described as filiform-like. Hydride growth was observed using optical microscopy for a period of nearly three years. Sample characterization included automated electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) measurements to determine growth directions. Observation of this anomalous hydride growth provides clues as to the mechanisms operating in uranium hydriding for more conventionally prepared sample surfaces.