Durability of U-Zr oxide solid solution in aqueous HO solution

熊谷 友多; 日下 良二; 高野 公秀; 渡邉 雅之

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 625, p.156553_1 - 156553_7, 2026/04

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2026.156553

U-Zr酸化物固溶体は、重大な原子炉事故時に形成される燃料デブリ中に一般的に含まれる相である。本研究では、放射線分解により生成する主要な酸化剤である過酸化水素に対するU-Zr酸化物固溶体の耐性を研究した。過酸化水素との繰り返し接触により、ウランの溶解は初期に進行するが次第に抑制され、ジルコニウムの溶解はより緩やかに進行した。ラマン分光およびX線回折により、表面の化学変化は限定的であり、ウラニル過酸化物の生成もわずかであった。表面に酸化還元活性サイトが存在するとした反応速度論モデルにより実験結果を再現した。解析の結果は反応活性サイトの表面密度は低いことを示唆した。これらの結果は、U-Zr酸化物固溶体の高い耐久性が保護被膜の形成によるものではなく、表面の酸化還元反応性の低さ自体に起因することを示唆する。

New insights into the cryogenic fracture mechanism of high-Mn austenitic steels using interrupted Charpy impact tests

Xia, B.*; Wang, H. H.*; Su, Y. H.; 徐 平光; 篠原 武尚; Wang, Y. W.*

Materials Science & Engineering A, 957, p.149940_1 - 149940_7, 2026/04

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2026.149940

The cryogenic fracture mechanism of high-Mn austenitic steels was investigated using a quasi-in situ experiment of interrupted Charpy impact test, together with electron backscatter diffraction and neutron Bragg-edge transmission imaging. The results show that voids coalesce through void sheeting at 77 K, a fracture mechanism associated with superior cryogenic toughness. The widely and ring-like distributed deformation twins ahead of the crack tip contribute limitedly to alleviating strain localization at 77 K. However, by suppressing the increase in stress triaxiality, deformation twins play a key role in promoting void sheeting and preventing the transition to quasi-cleavage fracture. This work lays the foundation for subsequent investigations into cryogenic toughening.

In situ study of growth mechanism of germanene segregated through Ag(111) thin films by Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

寺澤 知潮; 勝部 大樹*; 矢野 雅大; 小澤 孝拓*; 津田 泰孝; 吉越 章隆; 朝岡 秀人; 鈴木 誠也

Chemistry of Materials, 38(6), p.2933 - 2945, 2026/03

AA2025-0822.pdf:1.33MB

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.5c03462

Germanene, a honeycomb lattice of Ge atoms, has attracted attention for next-generation electronics and as a topological material. Among reported synthesis routes, the segregation method enables reproducible monolayer germanene formation on Ag(111) through simply annealing an Ag(111) thin film on a Ge(111) substrate. Despite this success, the physical origins of its monolayer selectivity and the mechanism for suppressing competing Ge phases remain unclear. Here, we investigate germanene formation via Ge segregation using in situ Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to directly track Ge behavior during annealing and cooling. In situ observations revealed that annealing at 500C yielded no Ge-related byproducts, and the system reached a high-temperature surface equilibrium state, independent of the initial Ge amount. Cooling from this state produced a Ge-enriched surface that stabilizes the formation of monolayer germanene. In contrast, heating only to 300C produced three-dimensional Ge islands without Ge-enrichment, followed by Ge-Ag alloy formation upon subsequent cooling. By integrating the temperature-dependent diffusion length and the process-dependent diffusion direction, we established a unified description of Ge behavior on Ag/Ge(111) substrates, in which cooling-induced Ge-enrichment at the surface reproducibly stabilizes the selective formation of monolayer germanene.

First-principles-based equilibrium Monte Carlo simulations of Cr-rich cluster stability in Fe-Cr-Al alloys; Effects of Al content and vacancies on the transition from promotion to suppression

阿部 陽介; 久保 淳; 鵜飼 重治; 都留 智仁

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 618, p.156221_1 - 156221_11, 2026/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.156221

Crリッチ析出物(CrRP)の安定性は、耐照射性に優れた酸化物分散強化型Fe-Cr-Al合金の開発において重要な要素である。本研究では、第一原理に基づく平衡モンテカルロシミュレーションを用いて、Al添加量および照射下で重要な空孔がCrRPの形成と原子構造に与える影響を評価した。CrRPの形成はAl添加量に対して非単調な挙動を示し、約12at.%で最大化された。Al添加量が増加すると、CrRP内部への侵入が進み、構造的な乱れと安定性の低下を引き起こすことが分かった。空孔は単独ではCrRP形成に大きな影響を及ぼさないが、Alと共にCrRP界面近傍に偏析することで界面安定性に影響を与える可能性を示した。これらの知見は、Fe-Cr-Al合金の最適設計やメゾスケールモデリングに資する原子レベルの基礎情報を提供する。

Integrated neutron and surface-based characterization of stress/strain fields and microstructural evolution during fatigue crack growth in SUS304 stainless steel

Su, Y. H.; 篠原 武尚; Parker, J. D.*; 及川 健一; 甲斐 哲也; Gong, W.; 伊東 達矢; Harjo, S.; 相澤 一也; 鬼柳 善明*; et al.

Materials Science & Engineering A, 951, p.149607_1 - 149607_16, 2026/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2025.149607

Local variations in residual stress/strain and microstructure during fatigue crack growth in compact tension specimens of SUS304 austenitic stainless steel were investigated using complementary methods: pulsed neutron Bragg-edge imaging (NBEI), neutron diffraction (ND), digital image correlation (DIC) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Surface strain fields were evaluated using DIC and EBSD. NBEI provided two-dimensional averaged microstructure information, whereas ND yielded detailed three-dimensional distributions of residual lattice (elastic) strain and stress. This study particularly focused on how NBEI is helpful in understanding overall damage characteristics in the vicinity of a crack tip two-dimensionally. Distribution of microstructural parameters associated with crack growth, such as lattice constant, crystallite size, and texture, across the entire specimen was considered using Bragg-edge spectral analysis. The plastic zone in front of the crack tip, characterized by reduced crystallite size, was observed during crack propagation. After final fracture, two distinct zones with reduced crystallite size were identified: one caused by localized plastic deformation near the crack tip, and the other by bending at the back end of the specimen. This paper introduces the four experimental techniques and describes their respective features. Each method has its own advantages and limitations; However, by integrating their results, a more comprehensive understanding of the overall stress/strain field can be achieved.

Collapse of Jahn-Teller phonons in LaSrMnO with weak magnetoresistance

Sterling, T. C.*; Savici, A. T.*; 梶本 亮一; 池内 和彦*; Khan, N.*; Weber, F.*; Reznik, D.*

Communications Materials (Internet), 32 Pages, 2026/00

https://doi.org/10.1038/s43246-026-01139-4

We investigated phonons and spin-phonon coupling in ferromagnetic colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) manganites LaSrMnO () that have a relatively small CMR associated with the melting of the magnetic order above room temperature. High-resolution neutron scattering experiments combined with density functional theory (DFT) show that the low-temperature ferromagnetic phase is conventional: neutron scattering intensities from phonons agree with DFT predictions, magnons follow sinusoidal dispersions, and no phonon-magnon hybridization occurs. Fluctuations of Mn moments and low-energy phonons involving Mn and La vibrations remain conventional in the high temperature paramagnetic phase, indicating that the Mn and La/Sr sublattices are not strongly perturbed by the melting of magnetic order. In sharp contrast, the Jahn-Teller active optical oxygen vibrations collapse entirely above the Curie temperature, in spite of the low CMR in these compositions, with at least part of the lost spectral weight reappearing as quasielastic scattering. We attribute this highly anomalous behavior to giant electron-phonon coupling (EPC) in the charge and/or orbital channel. It drives cooperative diffusive motion of quasistatic carrier-trapping oxygen sublattice distortions once ferromagnetism disappears. We hypothesize that the magnitude of magnetoresistance correlates with the rate of this diffusion rather than with the strength of Jahn-Teller EPC.

Dynamical stability by spin transfer in nearly isotropic magnets

紅林 秀和*; 山本 慧; 関 剛斎*; 他9名*

Nature Materials, 10 Pages, 2026/00

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-026-02510-z

Spin transfer torques (STTs) control magnetisation by electric currents, enabling a range of nano-scale spintronic applications. They can destabilise the equilibrium magnetisation state by counteracting magnetic relaxation. Here, we maximise the STT effect through a dedicated growth-annealing protocol for CoFeB thin films, such that magnetic anisotropies originating from the interface and shape almost cancel each other. The nearly isotropic magnets enable low-current dynamical stabilisation of the magnetisation in the direction opposite to an applied magnetic field, thereby realising a spintronic analogue of the Kapitza pendulum. In an intermediate current regime, the STT drives large magnetisation vector fluctuations that cover the entire Bloch sphere. The continuous variable associated with the stochastic magnetisation direction may serve as a resource for probabilistic computing and neuromorphic hardware. Our results establish isotropic magnets as a platform to study as-yet-uncharted, far-from-equilibrium spin dynamics including anti-magnonics, with promising implications for unconventional computing paradigms.

Effect of grain refinement on cracks occurring in SUS304L stainless steel under nuclear reactor operating conditions

広田 憲亮; 武田 遼真; 井手 広史; 土谷 邦彦; 小林 能直*

Nuclear Materials and Energy (Internet), 45, p.102009_1 - 402009_10, 2025/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nme.2025.102009

SUS304Lステンレス鋼を使用し、原子炉の構造部材における応力腐食割れに対する結晶粒微細化の影響を調査した。その結果、大気中および原子炉運転環境下での低ひずみ速度引張試験(SSRT)を実施した後、同じ結晶粒径のSUS304Lの引張特性を比較したところ、原子炉運転環境下では結晶粒径が大きくなると伸びが顕著に減少することが明らかになった。大気中で実施したSSRTでは、Hall-Petchの関係から得られた値は従来の値より低かった。ミクロ組織観察では、0.59mおよび1.52mの粒径を持つSUS304Lにクラックがないことが確認されたが、結晶粒径が大きいSUS304Lでは破面が粗く、側面にクラックが見られた。0.59mおよび1.52mの粒径を持つSUS304Lには薄い酸化膜が形成され、28.4m以上の粗大粒を持つSUS304Lには厚さ2mを超える酸化皮膜が形成された。0.59m、1.52mおよび28.4mのSUS304LにはCrO皮膜が形成され、39.5mおよび68.6mのSUS304LにはCrOおよびFe系酸化物が形成された。結晶方位解析では、0.59mおよび1.52mのSUS304Lにおいて、相にクラックがない線状の表層が確認されたが、結晶粒径が大きくなると表面に凹凸が生じ、相にクラックが見られた。細粒SUS304Lでは、格子拡散により相内でOが均一に拡散し、薄いCrO層が形成され、クラックが抑制された。粗大粒SUS304Lでは、粒界拡散により結晶粒界にFe酸化物が形成され、結晶粒界が脆弱化し、過飽和なOがCrOおよびFe系酸化物からなる厚い皮膜を形成し、剥離やクラックを引き起こした。

Lyotropic polymer liquid crystal coating; Enabling lamellar ion-conduction pathways for superior C-Rate performance in NCM523 cathodes

Marium, M.*; 青木 健太郎*; He, Y.*; 山本 勝宏*; Suwansoontorn, A.*; 生田 聖也*; 原 光生*; 永野 修作*; 長尾 祐樹*; 西川 慶*; et al.

ACS Applied Energy Materials (Internet), 8(22), p.16589 - 16600, 2025/11

https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.5c02323

High C-rate capability and energy-density stability are crucial for advanced lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, these two characteristics typically conflict in conventional systems. Herein, a lyotropic polymer liquid crystal (LPLC)-based coating was applied to the surface of LiNiCoMnO (NCM523) cathode to construct a highly ion-conductive artificial cathode electrolyte interface (CEI) layer, aiming to supersede traditional CEIs for LIBs. The coating material, composed of an amphiphilic lithium-substituted alkyl-sulfonated polyimide (ASPI-Li) and an appropriate amount of organic liquid electrolyte, forms nanoscale ion conduction channels that act as an artificial CEI layer, providing enhanced local Li-ion activity at the NCM523 surface. The ion-conduction channels, regulated by the layered structure within the ASPI-Li coating layer, significantly accelerated ion-diffusion kinetics at the electrode/electrolyte interface, thereby delivering superior C-rate capability at ambient temperatures compared with conventional LIB systems. This work, guided by molecular design, provides insights into the development of next-generation artificial CEI layers for efficient and sustainable energy-storage systems.

Phase transition of germanene prepared by atomic segregation epitaxy at Ag(111) thin films on Ge(111)

柚原 淳司*; 前田 匠汰*; 勝部 大樹*; 鈴木 誠也; 寺澤 知潮; 高倉 将一*; 仲武 昌史*; Le Lay, G.*

2D Materials (Internet), 12(4), p.045023_1 - 045023_10, 2025/10

https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1583/ae1490

This study aims to investigate the temperature-dependent structure of germanene prepared by atomic segregation epitaxy on an Ag(111) thin film surface. A germanene (7 7) superstructure, obtained upon heating at 500 C followed by cooling at room temperature, transforms into a germanene ( ) superstructure after further annealing at 250 C and subsequently evolves into the Ag-Ge surface alloy upon annealing at 350 C, as evidenced from the thorough analysis by scanning tunneling microscopy, low-energy electron diffraction, and core-level (CL) photoemission spectroscopy. Angle-resolved CL spectra reveal that germanium preferentially occupies the topmost atomic layer, forming the (7 7) and ( ) superstructures. In contrast, germanium is distributed within at least a few layers for the striped incommensurate surface alloy phase. From angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, the electronic structures of the (7 7) and ( ) superstructures appear to be almost the same. Based on these considerations, the surface phase diagram of Ge/Ag(111)/Ge(111) has been constructed. These findings provide insights into the relationship between germanene thermal stability and Ge concentration at the surface region of Ag(111).