4. Nuclear Fuel Materials and Basic Properties

Some desired properties and characteristics of fuel include high thermal conductivity, high density, high melting temperature, high thermal stability, modest linear expansion coefficient and high burn-up capacity. The fuel shall also show good irradiation characteristics, such as little-to-no-swelling, fission gas retention, resistance to irradiation damage (irradiation hardening, etc.). Compatibility of fuel and cladding is essential: detrimental interaction of fuel with cladding is not acceptable. It is also desirable to achieve proliferation-resistance for the fuel, which is related to the intrinsic fuel properties (e.g., difficult to separate nuclides) and minimal radioactive waste.