Uranium trioxide polymorphs appear in various stages of the nuclear fuel cycle and are therefore of interest to the fields of nuclear forensics and security. The formation and time-evolution of these phases is complex and thus requires systematic investigation. A comprehensive understanding of the distinct structures of UO3 polymorphs and the resulting influence on hydrolysis could be used to determine the provenance and process history of a sample. A survey of the literature indicates the existence of up to seven unique phases and one amorphous phase. This work aims to clarify and consolidate information that has been presented on UO3 over the last century, as well as explore gaps in understanding which still exist. The evolution of these phases in humid environments presents itself as a clear candidate for further inspection. To set a baseline prior to our environmental aging studies, three of the UO3 phases have been characterized by Raman and IR spectroscopy using the novel photothermal spectroscopy from Photothermal Spectroscopy Corp. These data are compared with recently published spectra to validate this innovative spectroscopic technique as an appropriate methodology for our hydrolysis experiments.

Hydrolysis of the uranium trioxide phases: Applications of photothermal spectroscopy

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