Researchers uncover hidden pore network within nuclear fuel

Researchers from MIT and Idaho National Laboratory, per MIT News, have completed one of the most detailed three-dimensional studies of nuclear fuel called U-10Zr. Using advanced X-ray imaging, they mapped the complex pore networks forming inside fuel during reactor operation and found that pores are far more intricate than previously understood. Pore density jumps dramatically at the fuel's edge, and uranium-rich versus zirconium-rich chemistry affects pore structure. These insights suggest pores may actually support thermal performance and help release fission gases—critical for designing safer and more efficient next-generation reactors.

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