Location of fission products in zirconia single crystals

The lattice location of specific fission products (Cs and I) in zirconia si ngle crystals was investigated by using Rutherford backscattering and chann eling experiments. The fission products were introduced into the ZrO2 matri x up to a concentration of a few at.% by ion implantation. The ZrO2 single crystals are strongly damaged during the implantation process, and the dama ge creation is almost the same for Cs or I ion implantation. The location o f the implanted fission products inside the host matrix depends on the natu re of the impurity. A significant substitutional fraction is observed in th e case of Cs ions at low concentration, whereas I ions mainly occupy random sites. These different site occupancies are likely correlated to specific impurity-defect interactions or phase formation which can affect the transp ort mechanisms of fission products in the confinement matrix.