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Morphological and chemical changes in nuclear graphite target under vacuum and high-temperature conditions.
De Rosa, Stefania; Colantoni, Elisabetta; Branchini, Paolo; Orestano, Domizia; Passeri, Antonio; Bussetti, Gianlorenzo; Centofante, Lisa; Corradetti, Stefano; Marsotto, Martina; Battocchio, Chiara; Riccucci, Cristina; Tortora, Luca.
Afiliación
  • De Rosa S; LASR3 Surface Analysis Laboratory Roma Tre, via della Vasca Navale 84, Rome, Italy.
  • Colantoni E; INFN, Roma Tre, via della Vasca Navale 84, Rome, Italy.
  • Branchini P; LASR3 Surface Analysis Laboratory Roma Tre, via della Vasca Navale 84, Rome, Italy.
  • Orestano D; INFN, Roma Tre, via della Vasca Navale 84, Rome, Italy.
  • Passeri A; Department of Mathematics and Physics, Roma Tre University, via della Vasca Navale 84, Rome, Italy.
  • Bussetti G; LASR3 Surface Analysis Laboratory Roma Tre, via della Vasca Navale 84, Rome, Italy.
  • Centofante L; INFN, Roma Tre, via della Vasca Navale 84, Rome, Italy.
  • Corradetti S; INFN, Roma Tre, via della Vasca Navale 84, Rome, Italy.
  • Marsotto M; Department of Mathematics and Physics, Roma Tre University, via della Vasca Navale 84, Rome, Italy.
  • Battocchio C; INFN, Roma Tre, via della Vasca Navale 84, Rome, Italy.
  • Riccucci C; Department of Physics, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, I-20133 Milano, Italy.
  • Tortora L; Legnaro National Laboratories (INFN-LNL), Viale dell'Università 2, Legnaro, Padova, Italy.
Heliyon ; 10(12): e32718, 2024 Jun 30.
Article en En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39183891
ABSTRACT
Nuclear-grade graphite is a high-efficiency material, widely used for vacuum applications in nuclear reactors and accelerators as targets facing particle beams. In these contexts, graphite is often exposed to extreme thermal stresses altering its physical and chemical properties. The thermal-induced release of volatile contaminants from targets and the damage of structural components are critical issues that can affect the safety and operation efficiency of beamline facilities. Here, we provide for the first time a detailed picture of the chemical and morphological changes occurring in a nuclear-grade graphite target, obtained through Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM), when exposed in vacuum to high temperatures. The radial temperature gradient induced by the impact of a pulsed energetic (MeV- GeV range) focused particle beams was reproduced by cyclically heating, in the 1300-1800 K temperature range, a disc-shaped graphite target in a vacuum setup. An accurate surface and in-depth chemical analysis of the graphite target was obtained thanks to the high sensitivity (ppm/ppb) of the Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) technique. The chemical maps clearly show the presence of several metal oxides and impurities in the surface and subsurface regions of the untreated sample. Such contaminants were removed because of the thermal treatment in vacuum more or less efficiently, as demonstrated by Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), and ToF-SIMS. However, Raman spectroscopy and SEM-EDS revealed that the high-temperature treatment induces a decrease in the crystallite size of the graphite as well as changes in the target surface porosity with the appearance of microvoids, leading the graphite target to be more prone to the breakage.
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Texto completo: 1 Colección: 01-internacional Base de datos: MEDLINE Idioma: En Revista: Heliyon Año: 2024 Tipo del documento: Article País de afiliación: Italia Pais de publicación: Reino Unido
Texto completo
Añadir a Mi BVS
Imprimir
XML
PubMed Links
Buscar en Google

Texto completo: 1 Colección: 01-internacional Base de datos: MEDLINE Idioma: En Revista: Heliyon Año: 2024 Tipo del documento: Article País de afiliación: Italia Pais de publicación: Reino Unido