Recent Progress on Interfaces in Nanomaterials for Nuclear Radiation Resistance

Abstract

Interfaces including grain boundaries and heterophase interfaces could withstand the radiation damage via providing sites for trapping the defects. With the urgent demand for high radiation-tolerance nanostructured materials, exploration of the structural properties, especially the role of the interfaces on the radiation response in the nanomaterials, is of significant essentialness in developing the design of new radiation-resistant materials. Herein, the recent progress and development of two main kinds of interfaces, namely the grain boundaries in nanocrystalline and the hetero-phase interfaces in nanolayered materials and nano-composites, in nanostructured materials that are designed for radiation tolerance are summarized. In addition, the radiation response and resistant mechanism under irradiation conditions of the nanocrystalline materials like metals, single-phase alloys, and ceramics, as well as the nanocomposites like nanolayered metals, nanolayered ceramics, metal-carbon nanocomposite, and nanoparticle dispersed steels, are reviewed. Finally, challenges and perspectives are proposed to offer advice for the development of radiation resistance nanomaterials.

In-Situ TEM Investigation of Helium Implantation in Ni-SiOC Nanocomposites

“…Introducing a high density of interfaces, such as the GB and phase boundary (PB), was proposed to improve irradiation tolerance due to their strong sink effect of absorbing irradiation-induced defects such as He and vacancy, giving rise to a low concentration of He-vacancy clusters in metals and thus retarding the nucleation of He bubbles [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. The enhanced He irradiation resistance of nanocrystalline (NC) Ni is usually manifested as a small bubble size and low bubble density compared to coarse grain samples [ 16 , 23 ], which was attributed to its large area fraction of GBs.…”

Features of Helium–Vacancy Complex Formation at the Zr/Nb Interface

“…Since intense exposure to high-energy particles can result in metal mixing and interface destruction, the layer’s miscibility mainly determines the morphological stability of the system. Thus, incoherent or semi-coherent systems with low layer miscibility will be the most promising [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. One of the most suitable systems is a system based on zirconium and niobium, since these materials are widely used in the nuclear industry due to good mechanical and corrosion properties, as well as low thermal neutron capture cross-section [ 15 ].…”

Study of the Kinetics of Radiation Damage in CeO2 Ceramics upon Irradiation with Heavy Ions

“…These experiments make it possible to estimate the time frame for the formation of radiation damage and to establish their evolution in the damaged material layer [ 7 , 8 ]. Third, the study of radiation damage in new types of nuclear materials, in particular oxide, nitride, and carbide ceramics, makes it possible to obtain new data on the properties of these materials, which have become increasingly interesting in recent years [ 9 , 10 , 11 ]. At the same time, interest in inert matrices is not only due to their high mechanical and thermophysical parameters, but also to the variety of ways to obtain them.…”