Accurate lattice parameter measurements of stoichiometric uranium dioxide

The paper presents and discusses lattice parameter analyses of pure, stoichiometric UO2. Attention was paid to prepare stoichiometric samples and to maintain stoichiometry throughout the analyses. The lattice parameter of UO2.000 ± 0.001 was evaluated as being 547.127 ± 0.008 pm at 20 °C, which is substantially higher than many published values for the UO2 lattice constant and has an improved precision by about one order of magnitude. The higher value of the lattice constant is mainly attributed to the avoidance of hyperstoichiometry in the present study and to a minor extent to the use of the currently accepted CuK X-ray wavelength value. Many of the early studies used CuK wavelength values that differ from the currently accepted value, which also contributed to an underestimation of the true lattice parameter.