Electron microscopy of alpha-plutonium

Abstract

During the past several decades metallurgists world-wide have sought for a reliable and reasonable method to characterize plutonium and its alloys via transmission electron microscopy. Metallurgically, plutonium (Pu) represents one of the most fascinating metals; it has six solid phases and contracts when melted.A number of workers over the years have tried to produce thin foils of plutonium, but the foils were later shown to have been completely converted to oxide. The primary problem has been in the preparation of electron transparent thin foils of a material having one of the highest atomic numbers that is highly oxidation prone, in addition to being radioactive. Advances in Pu metallography in the late 70's and early 80's produced a new series of electro-chemical thinning solutions modified for plutonium.