Ion microprobe studies of surface effects of materials related to fission and fusion reactors

Secondary ion mass spectrometry performed with an ion microprobe mass analyzer has been used to investigate surface chemical problems related to fission and fusion reactors. Ion microprobe analysis of nuclear reactor fuel elements has shown that oxygen and fission products are involved in the corrosive attack of fuel cladding, and these data have helped to establish conditions for optimum fuel performance. For fusion reactors, the containment of tritium is a principal criterion in reactor design. Ion microprobe analysis has contributed to a better understanding of the relation between the permeability of containment materials to hydrogen isotopes and the impurities present on the surface of these materials