Effects of Cr on the interdiffusion between Ce and Fe–Cr alloys

Abstract Fuel cladding chemical interaction (FCCI) has been a long-standing issue for the metallic fuel with a steel cladding in a sodium-cooled fast reactor, particularly for a high burnup fuel. Although the FCCI has been largely improved by alloying the fuels with Zr or Pd elements, applying a physical diffusion barrier between fuel and cladding, and employing advanced ferritic/martensitic (F/M) claddings, there is a scientific knowledge gap in understanding the behavior of chromium and its effects on the interdiffusion between lanthanides and advanced F/M steels that contain 9–12 wt.% Cr. In this paper, we systematically studied the interdiffusion between cerium and Fe–Cr model alloys with Cr contents of 6, 9 and 12 wt.%. Following the thermal annealing at 560 °C for up to 100 h, detailed microstructural characterizations were performed to determine the interdiffusion microstructures, compositional distributions, diffusion kinetics, and phase structures in the interdiffusion zone. This study unambiguously disclosed that, as the Ce diffuses into Fe–Cr model alloys, Cr segregates and precipitates into Cr-rich σ phase consisted of Fe and Cr instead of forming a ternary phase together with Fe and Ce. The precipitation of those nano-sized σ phase particles at the Ce diffusion front would effectively slow down the interdiffusion.