Nuclear Materials

Irradiation and Post-Irradiation Examination Capabilities

The University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) provides versatile irradiation facilities to support irradiation and post-irradiation examination (PIE) experiments for advanced materials research.

Operating continuously at 10 MW, MURR offers high thermal neutron flux and a range of irradiation positions — including central flux traps, pneumatic tubes, and specialized irradiation capsules — that can be tailored to meet experiment-specific requirements. Researchers use these capabilities to expose materials to well-characterized neutron environments for the study of radiation damage, transmutation, activation products and structural performance under extreme conditions.

Following irradiation, samples can be transferred to hot cells or partner laboratories for detailed examination using microscopy, spectroscopy, mechanical testing and radiochemical analysis. These facilities provide a critical platform for advancing nuclear fuels, structural alloys, and other engineered materials, enabling the development and qualification of next-generation technologies for energy, aerospace and defense applications.

Material Science Resources at MURR

• 10 MW light water-cooled reactor with 2.5 cm, 5 cm, and 7.5 cm diameter irradiation positions and two pneumatic tube irradiation positions
  • Peak Perturbed Thermal flux up to 4.5×10¹⁴ n/cm²/s
  • Fast flux up to 1.5×10¹⁴ n/cm²/s
• Thermal neutron beam with 15 cm diameter
  • Thermal flux = 8.5×10⁸ n/cm²/s
• Hot cell dedicated to materials research
• FEI Scios DualBeam FIB SEM
• Renishaw Raman Versa with 3D confocal imaging system and fiber probe
• Phase II Vickers hardness tester
• Psylotech µTS tensile tester