Mechanism and Properties of UO₂–Graphene Composite Fuel Prepared by In Situ Synthesis

A nucleation method based on a composite of uranium dioxide (UO₂) and graphene is presented by in situ synthesis, and the relevant mechanism and fuel properties are investigated. UO₂–graphene composite fuel powders containing graphene volume (2%, 4%, 6%, and 8%) were prepared using a nucleation method through the reactive deposition of uranyl nitrate and aqueous ammonia on graphene by controlling the reaction parameters. The composite fuel pellets were prepared using spark plasma sintering (SPS). The results showed that the uniformity of UO₂–graphene powder prepared by in situ synthesis reached up to 96.39%. An analysis on the relevant phase structure showed that only UO₂ and graphene existed in the sintered pellets at 1723 K, graphene and UO₂ were not destroyed during the reaction, and the pellet densities for the in-situ synthesis were 95.56%TD, 95.32%TD, 95.08%TD, and 94.76%TD for graphene contents of 2%, 4%, 6%, and 8%, respectively. The thermal conductivities of pellets at 293 K increased by 12.27%, 20.13%, 27.47%, and 34.13%, and by 18.36%, 35.00%, 47.07%, and 58.93% at 1273 K for 2%, 4%, 6%, and 8% graphene contents, respectively. The performance of graphene in the fuel was superior at high temperatures, which overcame shortcomings due to the low thermal conductivity of UO₂ at high temperatures. SEM results showed that the grain sizes of the pellets prepared by synthesis in situ were 10–30 μm, and there was no obvious pore at the grain boundary because the grains were closely bound. The graphene was uniformly coated by UO₂, and the thermal conductivity of the pellets improved upon the formation of a bridging heat conduction network.