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Band Gap Transition Studies Of U:Tho2 Using Cathodoluminescence, Joshua D. Reding

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense has expressed interest in thorium dioxide (ThO₂) and uranium dioxide (UO₂) as possible candidates for use as special nuclear material in designing neutron detectors. Both materials have large neutron interaction cross sections. Uranium dioxide is particularly attractive due to its semiconducting properties and a relatively small band gap of 2 eV. Both materials fluoresce under ionizing radiation making them candidates for scintillating detectors. Three U_x:Th_1-xO₂ (x= 0.00, 0.01, 0.22) hydrothermally grown single crystals were examined using cathodoluminescence to interrogate the changing electronic properties of ThO₂ as …