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Samrat Choudhury, University of ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ associate professor of mechanical engineering, is a part of a team of researchers looking for ways to make nuclear reactors more stable for long-term use.

In a study published in , they found that embedding uranium nitride nanoparticles in a metallic fuel may help it better withstand the extreme environment of irradiation within fission reactors.

"One of the major problems with current nuclear fuel, especially metallic fuel, is that during irradiation, the material swells and it touches the surrounding cladding material," he said.

The is the protective shell that keeps radioactive fuel and its byproducts sealed off from the reactor. Over time, the interaction of fission byproducts causes the cladding to degrade and become brittle, potentially shortening the reactor's life.

"The idea is, can we trap the fission products within the metallic matrix itself before they reach the cladding?" Choudhury said. "If we can, we are talking about fuels for the next generation of nuclear reactors."

Nuclear energy is a near , uses far less land than other green energy sources and produces less pollution than nonrenewable resources such as fossil fuels. Yet, nuclear energy provides .

Making nuclear energy more efficient and less prone to degradation could help it become more prevalent, said Indrajit Charit, chair of the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Industrial Management at the University of Idaho.

"If you can leave the fuel longer in the reactor and get all the energy that can be extracted from it, then the rate at which you are accumulating spent fuel will slow down," he said. "Fuel burnup is also dependent on the cladding performance.

"If the cladding is breaking, you cannot just leave the fuel inside. So, this research also helps us improve both fuel burnup and efficiency."

In a the researchers found that forming tiny uranium-nitride particles inside the fuel can capture and hold fission gasses and other byproducts. The 2025 follow-up study tested those nanoparticles and found that the interface between uranium-nitride nanoparticles and metallic fuel could capture the fission products that cause nuclear fuel to fail.

"If we can use the fuel for a longer period of time, there is a potential to decrease the amount of waste we generate," Choudhury said. "One of the major obstacles for nuclear energy is that it generates a lot of nuclear waste.

"If we can reduce the waste substantially, adopting nuclear energy is going to get a lot easier."

Concerns over radioactive waste are one of the biggest hurdles to widespread use of nuclear energy. But by increasing the lifespan of both the fuel and reactors, the amount of waste generated will decrease, the researchers said.

Before that can happen, however, researchers must test the nanoparticle-laced fuel in real-world conditions to ensure its safety.

"The next stage would be to get funding and try to perfect this and then collaborate with industries to see whether they would be interested in implementing it," Charit said. "It takes a long time to mature these technologies and get to a level where companies would adopt them, but this is the first step."

Top: Nuclear energy promises to provide a clean source of electrical power, but the fuel for reactors can degrade over time. A team of international researchers, including a University of ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ engineering professor, are developing a way to use tiny particles of uranium-nitride to stabilize the fuel and make reactors safer and more efficient. Adobe Stock photo