Crystallographic changes in lead zirconate titanate due to neutron irradiation

Alexandra Henriques; Joseph T. Graham; Sheldon Landsberger; Jon F. Ihlefeld; Geoff L. Brennecka; Donald W. Brown; Jennifer S. Forrester; Jacob L. Jones

doi:10.1063/1.4902179

AIP Advances (Nov 2014)

Crystallographic changes in lead zirconate titanate due to neutron irradiation

Alexandra Henriques,
Joseph T. Graham,
Sheldon Landsberger,
Jon F. Ihlefeld,
Geoff L. Brennecka,
Donald W. Brown,
Jennifer S. Forrester,
Jacob L. Jones

Affiliations

Alexandra Henriques: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA
Joseph T. Graham: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA
Sheldon Landsberger: Nuclear Engineering Teaching Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
Jon F. Ihlefeld: Electronic, Optical, and Nanomaterials Department, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185, USA
Geoff L. Brennecka: Electronic, Optical, and Nanomaterials Department, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185, USA
Donald W. Brown: Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87185, USA
Jennifer S. Forrester: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA
Jacob L. Jones: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4902179
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 4, no. 11
pp. 117125 – 117125-7

Abstract

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Piezoelectric and ferroelectric materials are useful as the active element in non-destructive monitoring devices for high-radiation areas. Here, crystallographic structural refinement (i.e., the Rietveld method) is used to quantify the type and extent of structural changes in PbZr0.5Ti0.5O3 after exposure to a 1 MeV equivalent neutron fluence of 1.7 × 1015 neutrons/cm2. The results show a measurable decrease in the occupancy of Pb and O due to irradiation, with O vacancies in the tetragonal phase being created preferentially on one of the two O sites. The results demonstrate a method by which the effects of radiation on crystallographic structure may be investigated.

Published in AIP Advances

ISSN: 2158-3226 (Online)
Publisher: AIP Publishing LLC
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Science: Physics
Website: http://aipadvances.aip.org/

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