The effect of anodic oxidation on near-surface deuterium in Zr-2.5 wt.% Nb

Abstract The effect of anodic oxidation on near-surface deuterium in thin ( ∼ 3.5 μm) foils of Zr-2.5 wt.% Nb has been studied with the 2 D( 3 He, p) 4 He nuclear reaction. To introduce deuterium into the foil, the native oxide was etched with a solution of 0.1% NH 4 HF 2 in D 2 O. The foils were anodized, in a compact cell in a vacuum chamber, to oxide thicknesses of 160, 200 and 280 nm and the remaining D concentration measured. The D content was also measured, in separate experiments, with the anodized surface towards the beam. Detailed analysis shows that the effect of oxidation is to return most of the D in the anodized region to the solution.