Plutonium-Aluminum Solid Solubility and Diffusion Studies

The solid solubility and diffusion of plutonium in aluminum were studied at 600°C. Cylindrical diffusion couples were prepared by coextrusion, and consisted of a core of 7 weight % plutonium-93% aluminum alloy clad with aluminum. Quantitative autoradiography was utilized to determine the solid solubility, while metallographic measurement furnished data for calculation of a diffusion coefficient.