Material made of uranium, gadolinium and oxygen and use thereof as consumable neutron poison

摘要

The present invention relates to a novel material made of uranium, gadolinium and oxygen, having a crystalline phase having cubic crystallographic structure, having an atomic ratio Gd/[Gd+U] of 0.6 to 0.93, the uranium being present in an oxidation state of +IV and/or +V. The invention further relates to the use of such a material as a consumable neutron poison of a fuel element.