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ZrB 2 , an ultra-high temperature ceramic (UHTC) is being considered for use in fusion reactor first-wall structures, yet its response to irradiation remains poorly understood. This study employed scanning/transmission electron microscopy (S/TEM), synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD), finite element calculations, and thermal property measurements to thoroughly investigate the neutron-irradiation effects on 11B-enriched ZrB 2. Neutron irradiations were conducted at 220 °C and 620 °C, with a neutron fluence of 2.2 × 1025 neutron/m2 (energy > 0.1 MeV), resulting in 3.9 dpa and 4200 appm He. The study revealed the unusual prevalence of prism loops and a > c anisotropic lattice swelling, likely linked to the low c/a ratio of ZrB 2 , leading to grain boundary microcracking. Reducing the grain sizes was effective in reducing intergranular cracking and macroscopic swelling. The observation of cavities in ZrB 2 irradiated at 620 °C, as opposed to 220 °C, prompts questions about the temperature at which vacancies in ZrB 2 become mobile, and the role of neutron absorption by 10B in elevating irradiation temperatures. Isotopic enrichment in 11B proves to be a viable strategy for mitigating helium production in transition-metal diborides, which is a critical consideration for nuclear applications. Irradiation-induced defects reduce the thermal diffusivity and conductivity of ZrB 2 by a factor of 4–9, which has important implications for its role as a plasma-facing material in fusion reactors that drive high heat fluxes through first-wall materials. This comprehensive study lays the foundation for understanding ZrB 2 behavior under neutron irradiation and highlights important phenomena to consider for various material applications. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High He/dpa microstructural effects have been investigated, by means of small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), in B-alloyed ferritic/martensitic steel Eurofer97-1 (0.12 C, 9 Cr, 0.2V, 1.08W wt%, B contents variable between 10 and 1000ppm), neutron irradiated at the High Flux Reactor of the JRC-Petten at temperatures between 250 °C and 450 °C, up do a dose level of 16 dpa. Under these irradiation parameters, B activation is expected to produce corresponding helium contents variable between 80 and 5600appm, with helium bubble distributions relevant for the technological applications. The SANS measurements were carried out under magnetic field to separate nuclear and magnetic SANS components; a reference, un-irradiated sample was also measured to evaluate as accurately as possible the genuine effect of the irradiation on the microstructure. Increasing the estimated helium content from 400 to 5600appm, the analysis of the SANS cross-sections yields an increase in the volume fraction, attributed to helium bubbles, of almost one order of magnitude (from 0.007 to 0.038); furthermore, the difference between nuclear and magnetic SANS components is strongly reduced. These results are discussed in correlation with TEM observations of the same samples and are tentatively attributed to the effect of drastic microstructural changes in Eurofer97-1 for high He/dpa ratio values, possibly relating to the dissolution of large B-carbides due to transmutation reactions.

A molecular dynamics (MD) simulation study was performed to investigate the effects of helium (He) on the mechanical properties of nanocrystalline body-centered cubic iron (BCC Fe). Simulated X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to explore the relationship between the generation of cracks and the change of the crystal structure in nanocrystalline BCC Fe during tensile deformation. It is observed that the peak stress and the elastic modulus decrease with increasing concentration of He atoms, which are introduced into the grain boundary (GB) region of nanocrystalline Fe. The generation and connection of intergranular cracks are enhanced by He atoms. Significant peak separation, which is associated with the generation of cracks, is found in the simulated XRD patterns of nanocrystalline Fe during the tensile process. The lower diffraction angle of the {211}′ peak suggests a more serious lattice distortion during loading. For all nanocrystalline Fe deformed to 6% strain, the degree and fraction of the lattice distortion increases with the increasing loading stress.

In materials exposed to neutron irradiation, helium atoms produced by transmutation reactions are prevalent and play a significant role in the evolution of dislocation loops, causing mechanical property degradation. However, systematic investigation on the helium role is lack and possible origin of helium effects is unclear. Here, by performing 400 keV Fe ion and 30 keV He in-situ irradiation, this study found that about 9.2×1012 cm−3 loops nucleated for every increase of 1 appm He at 0.9 dpa in Fe++He+ dual beam irradiation and 87% loop density was produced with the help of helium at 2262 appm/dpa. The different loop evolution in single He irradiation and Fe++He+ irradiation indicated the presence of high-density TEM-invisible (≤ 2 nm) small loops after Fe+ irradiation at high temperatures. The large number of loops produced by helium irradiation were possibly related with the small bubbles. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The susceptibility to irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC) at relatively low dose is dominated by conventional mechanisms such as radiation-induced segregation, hardening, creep/relaxation and radiolysis. Large amount of helium (He) can be accumulated in reactor internal components made of nickel containing steels of pressurised water reactors after long-term operation. The increase of He content has been correlated to IASCC susceptibility in reactor internals subjected to neutron irradiation. However, the question whether He increases or even dominates the IASCC susceptibility at high doses is still open. In this work, He was homogeneously implanted at 300°C to 300 and 1000 appm. Slow strain rate tests were performed in as-implanted solution annealed and cold-worked samples and in post-implantation annealed samples. The results show that homogenised implanted He up to 1000 appm alone (without significant displacement damage) does not produce intergranular cracking and IASCC in high-temperature air and in hydrogenated high-temperature water, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Under the environment of high radiation, materials used in fission and fusion reactors will internally accumulate numerous lattice defects and bubbles. With extensive studies focused on bubble resolution under irradiation, the mutually effects between helium bubbles and displacement cascades in irradiated materials remain unaddressed. Therefore, the defects production and microstructure evolution under self-irradiation events in vicinity of helium bubbles are investigated by preforming large scale molecular dynamics simulations in single-crystal copper. When subjected to displacement cascades, distinguished bubble resolution categories dependent on bubble size are observed. With the existence of bubbles, radiation damage is aggravated with the increasing bubble size, represented as the promotion of point defects and dislocations. The atomic mechanisms of heterogeneous dislocation structures are attributed to different helium-vacancy cluster modes, transforming from the resolved gas trapped with vacancies to the biased absorption of vacancies by the over-pressured bubble. In both cases, helium impedes the recombination of point defects, leading to the accelerated formation of interstitial loops. The results and insight obtained here might contribute to understand the underlying mechanism of transmutant solute on the long-term evolution of irradiated materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helium (He) effect on the microstructure of nanocrystalline body-centered cubic iron (BCC-Fe) was studied through Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation and simulated X-ray Diffraction (XRD). The crack generation and the change of lattice constant were investigated under a uniaxial tensile strain at room temperature to explore the roles of He concentration and distribution played in the degradation of mechanical properties. The simulation results show that the expansion of the lattice constant decreases and the swelling rate increases while the He in the BCC region diffuses into the grain boundary (GB) region. The mechanical property of nanocrystalline BCC-Fe shows He concentration and distribution dependence, and the existence of He in GB is found to benefit the generation and growth of cracks and to affect the strength of GB during loading. It is observed that the reduction of tensile stress contributed by GB He is more obvious than that contributed by grain interior He.

The UCSB database on cavity evolution in 9-12Cr tempered martensitic steels (TMS), includes the results for both dual heavy and helium ion (DII), and High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) in situ helium injection (ISHI) neutron irradiations at 500°C. These results were combined with literature single ion and fission neutron irradiation data to derive a model for the void volume fraction, f v , as a function of displacements per atom (dpa) and transmutant helium concentrations in atomic parts per million (appm). The scientific foundation for the paper is described in a companion paper entitled "Cavity Evolution and Void Swelling in Dual Ion Irradiated Tempered Martensitic Steels ". Here, we show that f v (dpa, He/dpa) is described by the incubation dose, dpa i , for the onset of void growth, and the post-incubation growth rate, f v '(%/dpa). Both dpa i and f v ' decrease with increasing He/dpa at > ∼ 5. The dpa i is also lower for the ISHI neutron irradiations at the same He/dpa. Single heavy ion and fission reactor neutron irradiations, with low He/dpa ratios, have a much larger dpa i. Based on a combined analysis of DII, single ion, ISHI and fission neutron data, we further show that the post-incubation f v data analyzed here have a common empirical curve shape, with f v ' reaching up to ∼ 0.2%/dpa at very high dpa. We also show that f v ' can be predicted based on a physical model of defect partitioning between evolving sinks. At 500°C and fusion relevant He/dpa ≈ 10, the best-fit model predicts nominal swelling, S = f v /(1-f v), of ∼ 1.1, 4.9 and 16% at 50, 100 and 200 dpa, respectively. The physically motivated, data-driven model includes estimated uncertainties for both dpa i and f v '. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanostructured Ferritic Alloys (NFAs) containing oxide nanoparticles are prospective advanced structural materials in future fusion reactors. Lacking fusion neutron sources with an adequate flux, modeling is critical to understand radiation damage in the NFAs, including helium effects. Machine learning interatomic potentials (MLPs) have been demonstrated to be capable of describing atomic interactions in chemically complex systems with comparable accuracy to density functional theory (DFT) but with much less computational costs. Hence, MLPs are chosen to study He bubble accumulation in chemically complex NFAs. As a preliminary step, we develop a Fe–He potential, based on ∼ 10,000 atomic configurations. The developed MLP accurately predicts the bulk properties of BCC-Fe compared to DFT, including the lattice constant (2.832 Å), elastic constants (c 11 = 271 GPa, c 12 = 141 , c 44 = 93), and phonon frequencies (maximum error < 3.5%). The MLP predicts He binding energies in He n V bubbles and He n clusters with a mean absolute error (MAE) of only ∼ 70 meV, which is ∼ 3 to ∼ 5 times smaller than the MAE of binding energies estimated using empirical potentials. The MLP also accurately predicts the migration barrier of interstitial He (64 meV). Furthermore, the MLP correctly predicts the maximum number of He atoms (critical size) at which a He n V bubble (He n cluster) can kick-out a self-interstitial atom (SIA), forming a bigger He n V 2 bubble ( He n V bubble). Subsequently, we use the MLP to perform molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the effect of temperature on the critical size of He n V bubbles and He n clusters. We find that the critical size decreases with increasing temperature — indicating that smaller bubbles and clusters can kick-out an SIA at higher temperatures, thereby escalating the He bubble growth. The current Fe–He MLP can be further developed to include all chemical interactions in NFAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Specimens of martensitic steel F82H were irradiated to doses ranging from 10.7 dpa/850 appm He to 19.6 dpa/1740 appm He at temperatures between 165 and 305 °C in the second experiment of SINQ Target Irradiation Program (STIP-II). Tensile tests were conducted at different temperatures and various fracture modes were observed. Microstructural changes including irradiation-induced defect clusters, dislocation loops and helium bubbles under different irradiation conditions were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The deformation microstructures of tensile tested specimens were carefully examined to understand the underlying deformation mechanisms. Deformation twinning was for the first time observed in irradiated martensitic steels. A change of deformation mechanism from dislocation channeling to deformation twinning was observed when the fracture mode changed from rather ductile (quasi-cleavage) to brittle (intergranular or cleavage and intergranular mixed). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cavity swelling peaked at an intermediate He implantation rate ∼10 appm He/dpa for ion irradiated Fe and fe-10cr alloys. • A bimodal cavity size distribution was observed in the 10 and 50 appm He/dpa samples but not for 0.1 appm He/dpa. • Treating small bubbles as bias sinks can significantly change the biased to unbiased sink strengths ratio (Q) and the capture efficiency ratio (Z). • Assuming the same z ratio for all He/dpa ratios may be physically incorrect. Ferritic-martensitic (FM) steels for in-vessel components in proposed fusion reactors are expected to suffer from high levels of displacement damage and helium (He) generation by neutron transmutation. However, a thorough understanding of the He synergistic effects on the cavity swelling in FM steels is still not well established. To gain fundamental insights into the He effect on cavity swelling, high purity Fe and Fe-10 wt.% Cr ferritic model alloys were irradiated with 8 MeV Ni ions and co-implanted He ions at 400 to 550 °C up to 30 displacements per atom (dpa) with He implantation rates of 0.1, 10 and 50 appm He/dpa. The current study focuses on the 50 appm He/dpa, 500 °C behavior vs. 0.1 and 10 appm He/dpa. Irradiation-induced defects, including cavities, dislocation loops, and dislocation networks were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In the grain interior, a bimodal cavity size distribution was observed in the 10 and 50 appm He/dpa samples, but not for 0.1 appm He/dpa. Cavity swelling was maximized at intermediate He implantation rates of ∼10 appm He/dpa for both ion-irradiated Fe and Fe-10Cr alloys. The cavity swelling behavior as a function of He implantation rate appears to be controlled by the He/dpa-dependent variation of cavity sink strengths. Treating small bubbles as biased sinks for interstitial absorption can significantly increase the ratio of biased to unbiased sink strengths (Q) and results in maximized cavity swelling for a Q ratio close to one. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the use of an internal 44 Ti/ 44 Sc radioisotope source for a direct microstructural characterization of ferritic/martensitic (f/m) steels after irradiation in targets of spallation neutron sources. Gamma spectroscopy measurements show a production of ∼1MBq of 44 Ti per 1 g of f/m steels irradiated at 1 dpa (displaced per atom) in the mixed proton–neutron spectrum at the Swiss spallation neutron source (SINQ). In the decay chain 44 Ti → 44 Sc → 44 Ca, positrons are produced together with prompt gamma rays which enable the application of different positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) analyses, including lifetime and Doppler broadening spectroscopy. Due to the high production yield, long half-life and relatively high energy of positrons of 44 Ti, this methodology opens up new potential for simple, effective and inexpensive characterization of radiation induced defects in f/m steels irradiated in a spallation target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reaction rate theory analysis has been conducted to investigate helium effects on the formation kinetics of interstitial type dislocation loops (I-loops) and helium bubbles in reduced-activation-ferritic/martensitic steel during irradiation, by focusing on the nucleation and growth processes of the defect clusters. The rate theory model employs the size and chemical composition dependence of thermal dissociation of point defects from defect clusters. In the calculations, the temperature and the production rate of Frenkel pairs are fixed to be T = 723 K and P V = 10 −6 dpa/s, respectively. And then, only the production rate of helium atoms was changed into the following three cases: P He = 0, 10 −7 and 10 −5 appm He/s. The calculation results show that helium effect on I-loop formation quite differs from that on bubble formation. As to I-loops, the loop formation hardly depends on the existence of helium, where the number density of I-loops is almost the same for the three cases of P He . This is because helium atoms trapped in vacancies are easily emitted into the matrix due to the recombination between the vacancies and SIAs, which induces no pronounced increase or decrease of vacancies and SIAs in the matrix, leading to no remarkable impact on the I-loop nucleation. On the other hand, the bubble formation depends much on the existence of helium, in which the number density of bubbles for P He = 10 −7 and 10 −5 appm He/s is much higher than that for P He = 0. This is because helium atoms trapped in a bubble increase the vacancy binding energy, and suppress the vacancy dissociation from the bubble, resulting in a promotion of the bubble nucleation. And then, the helium effect on the promotion of bubble nucleation is very strong, even the number of helium atoms in a bubble is not so large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The objective of the current work is assessment of the effects of neutron irradiation on the mechanical properties of blanket and divertor materials of a future fusion energy generation Demonstration Power Plant (DEMO). The emphasis is put on the review of the tensile, Charpy impact and fracture toughness properties of EUROFER97 and EUROFER ODS (9%Cr) steels irradiated up to a displacement damage dose of 80dpa in order to address (i) irradiation dose dependence of mechanical properties, (ii) irradiation temperature dependence of the mechanical properties, (iii) helium effects on the mechanical properties. The assessment will be used to give recommendations on the operating temperature range for the First Wall and helium cooled Breeding Blanket materials and to identify needs for structural materials R&D. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A recently developed interatomic potential for He-Fe interactions includes a three-body term to stabilize the interstitial He defect in the tetrahedral position in the Fe bcc matrix and provides simultaneous agreement with the forces and energies of different atomic configurations as computed by first principles. This term makes a significant contribution to the static and dynamic properties of He in Fe. The implementation of this potential for atomistic simulations using molecular dynamics (MD) presented certain challenges which are discussed here to facilitate its further use in materials research, particularly to investigate the behavior of iron-based alloys that may be employed in fusion energy systems. Detailed results of an MD study comparing the new potential and alternate He-Fe pair potentials with different iron matrix potentials have been presented elsewhere to illustrate the impact of the He-Fe potential on He diffusion, helium clustering and the dynamics of He-vacancy clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A dual-ion irradiation method is one of the most popular techniques for the research of microstructural evolution of materials under fusion environmental conditions. The application of oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steels is anticipated for realization of high temperature operation of fusion reactors above 600°C. In this research, the investigation of the microstructural evolution of high corrosion resistant ODS steels was performed using the ion irradiation methods. Dual ion-irradiation experiments were performed at the DuET facility, Kyoto University using 6.4MeV Fe self-ion and 1MeV helium ion. The irradiation temperatures were 300 and 500°C. The dose, dose rate, and helium over dpa ratio were 20dpa, 5×10−4 dpa/s, and 15appm/dpa, respectively. The post-irradiation experiments were performed using SEM, TEM and the nano-indentation methods. Significant microstructural evolution of grains and oxides were not observed after the single-ion irradiation at 20dpa, 500°C. Fine helium cavities were observed in the dual-ion irradiated 19Cr–2W–4Al ODS steel. Fine cavities of approximately several nanometers diameter were densely and uniformly formed in dual-ion irradiated range. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A molecular dynamics (MD) simulation study was performed to investigate the effects of helium (He) on the mechanical properties of nanocrystalline body-centered cubic iron (BCC Fe). Simulated X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to explore the relationship between the generation of cracks and the change of the crystal structure in nanocrystalline BCC Fe during tensile deformation. It is observed that the peak stress and the elastic modulus decrease with increasing concentration of He atoms, which are introduced into the grain boundary (GB) region of nanocrystalline Fe. The generation and connection of intergranular cracks are enhanced by He atoms. Significant peak separation, which is associated with the generation of cracks, is found in the simulated XRD patterns of nanocrystalline Fe during the tensile process. The lower diffraction angle of the {211}′ peak suggests a more serious lattice distortion during loading. For all nanocrystalline Fe deformed to 6% strain, the degree and fraction of the lattice distortion increases with the increasing loading stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tungsten (W) has been perceived as one of the most promising plasma facing materials (PFMs) for future fusion reactors. In the past decade, its behavior under irradiation and helium (He) plasma interaction has been extensively studied. However, some key knowledge gaps still exist, such as the influence of crystallographic orientation on the surface and subsurface evolutions. In this work, we focus on the He ion-beam irradiation damage effects in mirror-polished single-crystalline W samples with three different surface planes of {100}, {110} and {111}. Irradiation was performed at room temperature using 40 keV He+ to a fluence of 1 × 1016/cm2, followed by thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) up to ~1920 K. The microstructures of He-irradiated W before and after TDS heat treatment were characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Subsurface He bubbles were imaged in all irradiated samples, but newly formed <111>-oriented surface grains and surface blisters were only observed in W {100} and {110} starting orientations. These results reveal that radiation damage, He thermal desorption, and surface/subsurface evolution are all strongly dependent on crystallographic orientation. Underlying physical mechanisms are discussed based on ion channeling effects, He-vacancy interactions, and surface diffusion. These findings provide new insights into He effects in W. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helium (He) effect on the microstructure of nanocrystalline body-centered cubic iron (BCC-Fe) was studied through Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation and simulated X-ray Diffraction (XRD). The crack generation and the change of lattice constant were investigated under a uniaxial tensile strain at room temperature to explore the roles of He concentration and distribution played in the degradation of mechanical properties. The simulation results show that the expansion of the lattice constant decreases and the swelling rate increases while the He in the BCC region diffuses into the grain boundary (GB) region. The mechanical property of nanocrystalline BCC-Fe shows He concentration and distribution dependence, and the existence of He in GB is found to benefit the generation and growth of cracks and to affect the strength of GB during loading. It is observed that the reduction of tensile stress contributed by GB He is more obvious than that contributed by grain interior He. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helium (He) effect on the microstructure of nanocrystalline body-centered cubic iron (BCC-Fe) was studied through Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation and simulated X-ray Diffraction (XRD). The crack generation and the change of lattice constant were investigated under a uniaxial tensile strain at room temperature to explore the roles of He concentration and distribution played in the degradation of mechanical properties. The simulation results show that the expansion of the lattice constant decreases and the swelling rate increases while the He in the BCC region diffuses into the grain boundary (GB) region. The mechanical property of nanocrystalline BCC-Fe shows He concentration and distribution dependence, and the existence of He in GB is found to benefit the generation and growth of cracks and to affect the strength of GB during loading. It is observed that the reduction of tensile stress contributed by GB He is more obvious than that contributed by grain interior He.