NSUF - Nuclear Science User Facilities

Marat Khafizov

Profile Information
Name
Professor Marat Khafizov
Institution
The Ohio State University
Position
Associate Professor
h-Index
25
ORCID
0000-0001-8171-3528
Expertise
Accident Tolerant Fuel, Ceramics, Dislocation Loops, Fission Gas Bubbles, Irradiation, Magnetism, Nuclear Fuel, Thermal Conductivity, Thermophysical Properties, Uranium Compounds, Uranium dioxide, Uranium Nitride (UN)
Publications:
"Impact of nuclear reactor radiation on the performance of AlN/sapphire surface acoustic wave devices" Yuzhou Wang, Gaofeng Sha, Cole Harlow, Maha Yazbeck, Marat Khafizov, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B Vol. 481 2020 35-41 Link
The performance of an AlN/sapphire surface acoustic wave (SAW) delay line device was characterized in real time under irradiation inside a nuclear reactor. Both its resonant frequency and transmission efficiency were observed to respond to a change in reactor power. The response follows an exponentially saturating behavior after a step power increase, followed by an exponentially decaying recovery after reactor shutdown. A sensitivity analysis based on the governing electro-mechanical equations shows that the frequency shift can be attributed to the softening of sapphire’s elastic constants under neutron radiation. A kinetic rate equation is adopted to interpret device response and describe its microstructural evolution. These results suggest that the AlN/sapphire SAW device remains functional under irradiation, is sensitive to neutron and gamma ray fluxes, and offers an opportunity for remote sensing and in-situ measurement of material properties when exposed to nuclear reactor environment.
"In-situ measurement of irradiation behavior in LiNbO3" Marat Khafizov, Aleksandr Chernatynskiy, Gaofeng Sha, Joshua Daw, Cole Harlow, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B Vol. 472 2020 46-52 Link
In-situ measurement of LiNbO3 based surface acoustic wave (SAW) crystal resonator device under irradiation was demonstrated and used to characterize the impact of radiation on physical properties of this material. The resonant frequency of the SAW device was monitored as the output power of the reactor was varied. Upon step increase of the reactor power, a gradual shift in the device’s resonant frequency was observed. This frequency shift initially exhibits a linear growth and eventually reaches an equilibrium value proportional to the reactor power. The observed behavior can be attributed to two competing processes: increase of temperature due to gamma heating or accumulation of irradiation induced defects. In both cases, the response is attributed to changes in the physical properties of LiNbO3, particularly the elastic constants. This demonstrated ability to measure materials properties under irradiation is attractive for development of sensors and performing materials science under irradiation.
"Microstructure changes and thermal conductivity reduction in UO2 following 3.9 MeV He2+ ion irradiation" Anter EL-AZAB, Jian Gan, Marat Khafizov, Andrew Nelson, Janne Pakarinen, Chris Wetteland, Lingfeng He, David Hurley, Todd Allen, Journal of Nuclear Materials Vol. 454 2014 283-289 Link
The microstructural changes and associated effects on thermal conductivity were examined in UO2 after irradiation using 3.9 MeV He2+ ions. Lattice expansion of UO2 was observed in X-ray diffraction after ion irradiation up to 5 × 1016 He2+/cm2 at low-temperature (<200 °C). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed homogenous irradiation damage across an 8 μm thick plateau region, which consisted of small dislocation loops accompanied by dislocation segments. Dome-shaped blisters were observed at the peak damage region (depth around 8.5 μm) in the sample subjected to 5 × 1016 He2+/cm2, the highest fluence reached, while similar features were not detected at 9 × 1015 He2+/cm2. Laser-based thermo-reflectance measurements showed that the thermal conductivity for the irradiated layer decreased about 55% for the high fluence sample and 35% for the low fluence sample as compared to an un-irradiated reference sample. Detailed analysis for the thermal conductivity indicated that the conductivity reduction was caused by the irradiation induced point defects.
"Subsurface imaging of grain microstructure using picosecond ultrasonics" Darryl Butt, Hunter Henderson, David Hurley, Brian Jaques, Marat Khafizov, Andrew Nelson, Janne Pakarinen, Michele Manuel, Lingfeng He, Acta Materialia Vol. 112 2016 1476-1477 Link
We report on imaging subsurface grain microstructure using picosecond ultrasonics. This approach relies on elastic anisotropy of crystalline materials where ultrasonic velocity depends on propagation direction relative to the crystal axes. Picosecond duration ultrasonic pulses are generated and detected using ultrashort light pulses. In materials that are transparent or semitransparent to the probe wavelength, the probe monitors gigahertz frequency Brillouin oscillations. The frequency of these oscillations is related to the ultrasonic velocity and the optical index of refraction. Ultrasonic waves propagating across a grain boundary experience a change in velocity due to a change in crystallographic orientation relative to the ultrasonic propagation direction. This change in velocity is manifested as a change in the Brillouin oscillation frequency. Using the ultrasonic propagation velocity, the depth of the interface can be determined from the location in time of the transition in oscillation frequency. A subsurface image of the grain boundary is obtained by scanning the beam along the surface. We demonstrate this subsurface imaging capability using a polycrystalline UO2 sample. Cross section liftout analysis of the grain boundary using electron microscopy was used to verify our imaging results.
Presentations:
"Influence of Irradiation-induced Microstructural Defects on the Thermal Conductivity of Single Crystal Thorium Dioxide" Marat Khafizov, Amey Khanolkar, Zilong Hua, Cody Dennett, wangthink Wang, Tiankai Yao, Lingfeng He, Jian Gan, David Hurley, TMS 2020 February 23-27, (2020)
"Irradiation behavior of piezoelectric materials for nuclear reactor sensors" Marat Khafizov, Gaofeng Sha, Cole Harlow, Aleksandr Chernatynskiy, Joshua Daw, Radiation Effects in Insulators August 19-23, (2019)
NSUF Articles:
RTE 1st Call Awards Announced - Projects total approximately $1.4 million These projects will continue to advance the understanding of irradiation effects in nuclear fuels and materials in support of the mission of the DOE-NE. Friday, February 8, 2019 - Calls and Awards
NSUF awards 30 Rapid Turnaround Experiment proposals - Approximately $1.53M has been awarded. Tuesday, June 14, 2022 - Calls and Awards

About Us

The Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) is the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy's only designated nuclear energy user facility. Through peer-reviewed proposal processes, the NSUF provides researchers access to neutron, ion, and gamma irradiations, post-irradiation examination and beamline capabilities at Idaho National Laboratory and a diverse mix of university, national laboratory and industry partner institutions.

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