Grain boundary strain as a determinant of localized sink efficiency

Nathaniel, James E.; Suri, Pranav K.; Hopkins, Emily M.; Wen, Jianguo; Baldo, P. M.; Kirk, Marquis A.; Taheri, Mitra L.

doi:10.1016/j.actamat.2022.117624

Cited by 17 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…DZ formation and “collapse” is seen as a strong marker of GB defect absorption efficiency, as its existence, or lack of, can be directly mapped to defect concentration profiles near GBs that are directly influenced by their sink strength. Previous work has established a clear connection between this sink efficiency and the macroscopic GB character ( 16 , 49 ), as well as between sink efficiency and DZ formation ( 35 , 50 – 54 ). However, we have recently demonstrated that changes in absorption efficiency can lead to DZ collapse without the need for a change in macroscopic GB dof ( 20 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…DZs are the microstructural manifestation of highly complex defect-GB interactions. Broadly speaking, these interactions relate the overall GB character, defined by the five-dimensional (5D) space consisting of misorientation and inclination degrees of freedom (dof), with the structure and properties of irradiation defect clusters, although extensive studies in recent times culminating in previously unidentified findings and a much improved understanding of the internal structure of GBs are fast changing this picture ( 6 , 16 – 19 ). In a previous work ( 20 ), we have shown that the evolution of the width of the DZ with irradiation dose is associated with changes in GB (internal) microstates.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Complex dislocation loop networks as natural extensions of the sink efficiency of saturated grain boundaries in irradiated metals

He,

Mang,

El Atwani

et al. 2024

Sci. Adv.

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The development of radiation-tolerant structural materials is an essential element for the success of advanced nuclear energy concepts. A proven strategy to increase radiation resistance is to create microstructures with a high density of internal defect sinks, such as grain boundaries (GBs). However, as GBs absorb defects, they undergo internal transformations that limit their ability to capture defects indefinitely. Here, we show that, as the sink efficiency of GBs becomes exhausted with increasing irradiation dose, networks of irradiation loops form in the vicinity of saturated or near-saturated GB, maintaining and even increasing their capacity to continue absorbing defects. The formation of these networks fundamentally changes the driving force for defect absorption at GB, from “chemical” to “elastic.” Using thermally-activated dislocation dynamics simulations, we show that these networks are consistent with experimental measurements of defect densities near GB. Our results point to these networks as a natural continuation of the GB once they exhaust their internal defect absorption capacity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Complex dislocation loop networks as natural extensions of the sink efficiency of saturated grain boundaries in irradiated metals

He,

Mang,

El Atwani

et al. 2024

Sci. Adv.

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“…Atomistic simulations in Cu have shown that the interaction between grain boundaries and defects is sensitive to the boundary microstructure [ 16 , 21 ]. Room-temperature heavy ion irradiation of bicrystal Cu shows a higher defect absorption rate in low-angle grain boundaries (LAGBs) due to the cooling-induced lattice strain attracting more point defects [ 19 ]. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations conducted on Cu confirm that LAGBs are stronger sinks than high-angle ones [ 13 ].…”

Section: Grain Boundary Character Controlled Through Synthesis and Pr...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sink efficiency has been quantified by measuring the defect denuded zones [ 18 ], but denuded zones are not always observed [ 14 ]. Their presence is a consequence of defect trapping at the interfaces, and in the case of grain boundaries it may vary depending on the grain boundary character [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ], the strength of other sinks [ 13 , 24 ], grain size [ 9 ], defect recombination rate [ 13 , 14 ], and irradiation conditions [ 9 , 14 , 22 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal and Radiation Stability in Nanocrystalline Cu

et al. 2023

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Nanocrystalline metals have presented intriguing possibilities for use in radiation environments due to their high grain boundary volume, serving as enhanced irradiation-induced defect sinks. Their promise has been lessened due to the propensity for nanocrystalline metals to suffer deleterious grain growth from combinations of irradiation and/or elevated homologous temperature. While approaches for stabilizing such materials against grain growth are the subject of current research, there is still a lack of central knowledge on the irradiation–grain boundary interactions in pure metals despite many studies on the same. Due to the breadth of available reports, we have critically reviewed studies on irradiation and thermal stability in pure, nanocrystalline copper (Cu) as a model FCC material, and on a few dilute Cu-based alloys. Our study has shown that, viewed collectively, there are large differences in interpretation of irradiation–grain boundary interactions, primarily due to a wide range of irradiation environments and variability in materials processing. We discuss the sources of these differences and analyses herein. Then, with the goal of gaining a more overarching mechanistic understanding of grain size stability in pure materials under irradiation, we provide several key recommendations for making meaningful evaluations across materials with different processing and under variable irradiation conditions.

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“…Designing an irradiation-tolerant material from the perspective of interface engineering has become one of the main consensuses among the nuclear materials community [1][2][3][4][5]. Graphene (Gr), attributed to its remarkable mechanical properties, high specific surface area, and light weight [6,7], exhibits enormous potential in building ultra-high-strength interfaces with metals [7][8][9][10][11][12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Defective Graphene Effects on Primary Displacement Damage and He Diffusion at a Ni–Graphene Interface: Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Huang

Yuan

et al. 2023

Crystals

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Ni–graphene nanocomposites with high-density interfaces have enormous potential as irradiation-tolerant materials applied in Gen-IV reactors. Nevertheless, the mechanism wherein the intrinsic and/or irradiation-induced defects of graphene affect the irradiation tolerance of the composites remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate the effects of the two types of defective graphene on the displacement damage and He diffusion of the composites, respectively, using atomistic simulations. The introduction of the intrinsic defects of graphene has a significant effect on the Ni lattice structure near the Ni–graphene interface, especially showing that after displacement cascades, the number of defects gradually increases with the increase in graphene-defective size due to the formation and growth of stacking fault tetrahedra. The existence of the irradiation-induced defects of graphene does not diminish the ability of the interface to trap He atoms/clusters and even may be maintained or improved, mainly reflected in the fact that many isolated He atoms and small clusters can gradually migrate toward the interface and the fraction of He within the interface is up to 37.72% after 1 ns. This study provides an important insight into the understanding of the association relationships of defective graphene with the irradiation tolerance of composites.

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Grain boundary strain as a determinant of localized sink efficiency

Cited by 17 publications

References 67 publications

Complex dislocation loop networks as natural extensions of the sink efficiency of saturated grain boundaries in irradiated metals

Complex dislocation loop networks as natural extensions of the sink efficiency of saturated grain boundaries in irradiated metals

Thermal and Radiation Stability in Nanocrystalline Cu

Defective Graphene Effects on Primary Displacement Damage and He Diffusion at a Ni–Graphene Interface: Molecular Dynamics Simulations

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