Hydrogen and water vapor adsorption on and reaction with uranium

By combining modulated molecular beam scattering, temperature programmed desorption, and atomic force microscopy experiments, the fundamental properties of the interaction of hydrogen and water vapor with uranium at room temperature and above have been investigated. The initial sticking probability, hydride formation probabilities and desorption kinetics for dihydrogen and water vapor on clean uranium have been measured. In addition, saturation coverages for hydrogen and water vapor are determined for an initially clean uranium surface. Atomic force microscopy revealed site-specific initiation of hydride formation for slightly oxidized uranium at grain boundaries. The areal (and hence time) dependence of the hydride formation probability was also observed. The clean uranium surface is passivated significantly by oxidation and carburization. The sticking probabilities for dihydrogen and water vapor are one to two orders of magnitude smaller on oxidized and carbided surfaces. The carbided surface is efficiently produced by reaction of C-60 with uranium surfaces between 600 and 800 K.