Point defects and clustering in uranium dioxide by LSDA+U calculations

TL;DR

This study uses advanced LSDA+U calculations to analyze point defects and clustering in uranium dioxide, revealing defect energetics, stability limits, and structural behaviors crucial for understanding nonstoichiometric UO2+x.

Contribution

It provides improved defect energetics and a comprehensive model for defect clustering in UO2+x, incorporating localized 5f electrons and clustering effects.

Findings

Oxygen defects predominate over uranium defects at all compositions.

Upper bound of x~0.03 for oxygen cluster formation.

Identification of metastable oxygen dimers and their properties.

Abstract

A comprehensive investigation on point defects and their clustering behavior in nonstoichiometric uranium dioxide UO2+x is carried out using LSDA+U method based on density functional theory. Accurate energetic information and charge transfers available so far are obtained. With these energies that have improved more than 50% over that of pure GGA and LDA, we show the density functional theory predicts the predominance of oxygen defects over uranium ones at any compositions, which is possible only after treated the localized 5f electrons properly. Calculations also suggest an upper bound of x~0.03 for oxygen clusters to start off. The volume change induced by point uranium defects is monotonic but nonlinear, whereas for oxygen defects, increase x always reduces the system volume linearly, except dimers that require extra space for accommodation, which has been identified as meta-stable ionic molecule. Though oxygen dimers usually occupy Willis O'' sites and mimic a single oxygen in energetics and charge state, they are rare at ambient conditions. Its decomposition process and vibrational properties have been studied carefully. To obtain a general clustering mechanism in anion-excess fluorites systematically, we also analyze the local stabilities of possible basic clustering modes of oxygen defects. The result shows an unified way to understand the structure of Willis type and cuboctahedral clusters in UO2+x and beta-U4O9. Finally we generalize the point defect model to the independent clusters approximation to include clustering effects, the impact on defect populations is discussed.