Raman imaging in corrosion science: High‐temperature oxidation of the zirconium alloys used in the nuclear industry as an example

Abstract

Successive technological improvements have made Raman imaging systems very efficient. Raman imaging applications now cover a wide range of scientific fields, including high-temperature materials corrosion, also known as dry corrosion. The analysis of the phenomena occurring during corrosion requires knowledge in metallurgy, thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, solid-state chemistry, and physics. Part of this information (crystallographic phases, stress state, oxygen transport, etc.) can be obtained, at least qualitatively, from the analysis of Raman images of the oxidation layer. Throughout this paper, we consider as a prototypal example the oxidation of a particular zirconium alloy, Zircaloy-4, used in the nuclear industry as cladding materials in light-water reactors. Through some examples, the aim of the present paper is to describe what kind of information this method can bring, to review its merits and weaknesses. The analysis protocols methods described herein are not exhaustive, but most probably represent a simple way to read and understand the Raman images. These few examples show that rather subtle details that concern phase distribution, strain, and oxygen transport can effectively be captured by this method. Most probably, Raman imaging may be applied to other alloys or systems as well.

Isotope Exchange Raman Spectroscopy (IERS): A Novel Technique to Probe Physicochemical Processes In Situ

“…The virtual crystal approximation (VCA) is usually introduced for a crystal containing several isotopes in order to recover the translational invariance lifted by the isotopic disorder, meaning that masses of these isotopes are simply replaced by their average weighted relative abundances, $$\bar{m}$$. [ 31,32 ] This approximation allows to understand the one mode behavior observed for monoatomic crystals as well as for crystals with different elements in the primitive cell, i.e., the isotopic mass disorder is only a weak perturbation of the crystal properties.…”

Silicon and Zirconium Ceramics Radiolysis in the Presence of Water

“…One of the possible explanations could be an increase of the signal from the oxide layer, cubic ZrO 2 . 51,52 Low-frequency second-order acoustic mode intensities de-creased after irradiation, similar to those observed before under irradiation with Eu and swift Xe ions. 50 At the same time, the surface did not change uniformly after irradiation, and rather separate spots demonstrated different spectral changes.…”

Tribute to Derek Long: An instant snapshot of the development of Raman spectroscopy and its application in the fields of instrumentation and methodology, solid‐state materials, cultural heritage, DFT modeling and applications in biology, microbiology, and medicine

“…Mermoux and Duriez ( Raman Imaging in Corrosion Science: High Temperature Oxidation of the Zirconium Alloys Used in the Nuclear Industry as an Example , Université Grenoble and Université Alpes & Savoie ‐ Mont‐Blanc, France) [ 22 ] illustrate the efficiency of Raman imaging on the analysis of the phenomena that occur during corrosion (such as the identification of crystallographic phases, stress state, and oxygen transport) taking the example of a particular zirconium alloy, Zircaloy‐4, used in the nuclear industry as cladding materials in light‐water reactors. The authors show that rather subtle details that concern phase distribution, strain, and oxygen transport can effectively be captured by Raman imaging.…”