Actinide fluorides are important nuclear fuel cycle materials (e.g., UF4 and PuF4 are common intermediates in the production of uranium and plutonium metal), yet much remains to be learned about the fundamental properties of these materials, including the effects of aging on their chemical and physical properties. Such studies are challenging because standard production techniques involve the manipulation of large quantities of hydrogen fluoride at high temperatures and there are radiological hazards associated with handling actinide materials. In contrast, the synthesis of lanthanide fluorides from ionic liquids and lanthanide dioxide is well established and provides an appealing alternative route to the production of actinide fluorides. This work explores an approach in which the ionic liquids are used to fluorinate lanthanide and plutonium oxalates (e.g., Ce2(C2O4)3.9H2O and Pu2(C2O4)3.9H2O) to produce anhydrous lanthanide and or actinide fluorides (e.g., LnF3, AnF3). Powder X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and vibrational spectroscopy were used to characterize the resulting materials. This alternative synthesis and characterization of actinide fluorides will provide value in the areas of nuclear forensics and nuclear fuel processing.

Synthesis of cerium trifluoride and plutonium trifluoride from ionic liquids

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