Isotope‐specific analysis of neutron‐irradiated lithium aluminate ceramics by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

The effects of neutron irradiation on lithium aluminate ceramics and the transport and incorporation of tritium into surrounding components are primary concerns in the development of materials for use in tritium production. The high specific activity and volatility of the tritium in activated samples greatly increase the challenges of experimental analysis. This paper reports the determination of structural forms and concentrations of 3H and 6Li in irradiated and nonirradiated LiAlO2 by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The experiments find tritium uniformly distributed in hydroxyl groups bridging aluminum centers and lithium in four‐ and six‐coordinated sites. These results demonstrate that measurements can be performed in a nondestructive, safe manner to obtain isotope‐selective, quantitative information even on highly hazardous materials.