At NuMat 2026 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, I presented my latest research on how simulated fission products affect the performance of uranium mononitride (UN), a promising fuel for next-generation nuclear reactors. The study combines ion implantation, SEM/EDS, nanoindentation, and transient grating spectroscopy (TGS) to investigate how solid and gaseous fission products, including Zr, Ba, Xe, and Kr, affect both the dimensional stability and thermal transport of UN. My results reveal significant implantation-induced swelling and shrinkage, alongside degradation of thermal diffusivity. Importantly, the results suggest that fission-product chemistry can have a stronger influence on thermal transport than implantation dose alone.

Read the article here: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117400