Perspectives in using Raman spectroscopy for characterizing the microstructure of plutonium-bearing materials

Abstract : In the frame of the development of uranium-plutonium mixed oxide fuels for Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors (SFRs), characterizing nuclear materials by various techniques is paramount. These fast neutron reactors imply the use of a (U,Pu)O$_{2-x}$ ceramic fuel with a Pu/(U+Pu) content between 19 and 30 mol.%. Furthermore, the physico-chemical and microstructural properties of such fuels, such as chemical homogeneity, oxygen stoichiometry (O/(U+Pu) ratio) and crystallographic structure, have to meet precise criteria for being introduced in the reactor core.