Lanthanides migration in U–Zr based nuclear fuels

Atomistic modeling using the BFS method for alloys is performed to study the formation of lanthanide-rich precipitates in U–Zr fuel and the segregation patterns of all constituents to the surface. Surface energies for all elements were computed and, together with the underlying concepts of the BFS method, the migration of lanthanides to the surface region in U–Zr fuels is explained.