The Use of Electrochemical Sectioning in the Study of Diffusion in Tungsten

Abstract

A microsectioning technique based on metal anodization and subsequent removal of the anodic oxide film was developed and tested by using it to determine the concentration profiles of 95Nb in tungsten single crystals after diffusion at 1800°C. The anodization characteristics of tungsten pertinent to quantitative serial sectioning were studied and several techniques for increasing the efficiency of isotope removal during chemical dissolution of the anodic film were tried. The resulting data were highly self‐consistent and demonstrate the value of the method in investigating diffusion behavior in tungsten, particularly at low temperatures.