Quantitative ion beam analysis of M–C–O systems: application to an oxidized uranium carbide sample

A large variety of materials contain both carbon and oxygen atoms, in particular oxidized carbides, carbon alloys (as ZrC, UC, steels, etc.), and oxycarbide compounds (SiCO glasses, TiCO, etc.). Here a new ion beam analysis methodology is described which enables quantification of elemental composition and oxygen concentration profile over a few microns. It is based on two procedures. The first, relative to the experimental configuration relies on a specific detection setup which is original in that it enables the separation of the carbon and oxygen NRA signals. The second concerns the data analysis procedure i.e. the method for deriving the elemental composition from the particle energy spectrum. It is a generic algorithm and is here successfully applied to characterize an oxidized uranium carbide sample, developed as a potential fuel for generation IV nuclear reactors. Furthermore, a micro-beam was used to simultaneously determine the local elemental composition and oxygen concentration profiles over the first microns below the sample surface. This method is adapted to the determination of the composition of MCO compounds with a sensitivity on elemental atomic concentrations around 1000 ppm.