Symposium EN03-Emergent Properties in Actinide Materials—Enabling Next-Generation Nuclear Energy Applications

Actinide materials exhibit an unusually large range of unique physical and chemical properties that include electronic, transport, and magnetic properties. The unique characteristics of actinides stem, in part, from the complexities of their 5f electronic structure, and have opened avenues for the application of actinide materials in many diverse fields ranging from space exploration, neutron detectors, and medical diagnostics. The most prominent application of actinides, however, is in nuclear energy since actinides form the backbone of current and emerging nuclear fission technologies for energy production. With a global concerted effort of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, advanced nuclear energy technologies are expected to play a vital role in the worldwide energy economy. The success of implementing next-generation nuclear energy technologies relies on key breakthroughs and fundamental discoveries in the physical and chemical behavior of actinide materials. This symposium will focus on the physics, chemistry, and materials science of actinide materials that can enable innovative nuclear energy technologies. Particular emphasis will be laid on novel experimental and modeling approaches that uncover new phenomena at rapid times scales and small length scales, 5f magnetic and electronic behaviors, chemical segregation and radiation damage, and property evolution under extreme temperature, pressure, and radiation extremes.

actinide crystal growth electronic structure ion-solid interactions magnetic properties microstructure molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) radiation effects thermal conductivity