A new methodology for studying neutron absorber materials first results with boron carbide.

L. Desgranges (1) , J. M. Escleine (1) , P. Bienvenu (1) , I. Roure (1) , D. Gosset (1) , R. Boffy (2) , U. Koester (2)

1 CEA-DES (ex-DEN) - CEA-Direction des Energies (ex-Direction de l'Energie Nucléaire)
2 ILL - Institut Laue-Langevin

This paper presents a new methodology used to study transmutation damage in boron carbide (B$_4$C). B$_4$C samples were set in a specially designed sample holder and irradiated in a neutron thermal flux in the ILL reactor. After describing the sample holder and the irradiation conditions, this paper discusses the results of the first post-irradiation examinations by secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results obtained for a B$_4$C disc with natural boron composition prove the efficiency of the methodology.

Mots clés: Neutron irradiation; Neutron absorber; Nuclear material; Irradiation design

Domaines: Physique Nucléaire Expérimentale [nucl-ex]; Physique Nucléaire Théorique [nucl-th]

L. Desgranges, J. M. Escleine, P. Bienvenu, I. Roure, D. Gosset, et al.. A new methodology for studying neutron absorber materials first results with boron carbide.. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 2017, 432, pp.42-47. ⟨10.1016/j.nimb.2018.07.011⟩. ⟨cea-02421729⟩