Potentialities of Mössbauer Spectroscopy for Studying Zirconium Alloys and Their Oxide Films

A brief review and an analysis of results of a study of iron- and tin-bearing zirconium alloys and their oxide films by the method of Mössbauer spectroscopy (MS) are presented. The potentialities of MS for studying the phase composition of zirconium alloys are described and the changes in the states of iron and tin atoms are presented as a function of additional alloying and thermomechanical treatment. The conditions of formation of Zr₂Fe and Zr₃Fe intermetallic compounds and chromium- and niobium-bearing compounds are considered. It is shown that some intermetallic compounds transform into other compounds at room temperature. Metallic iron and tin are shown to be present in oxide films of zirconium alloys, and their concentration is shown to affect the corrosion resistance of zirconium alloys.