Scientific Reports (Apr 2021)

New insights into microstructure of neutron-irradiated tungsten

  • M. Dürrschnabel,
  • M. Klimenkov,
  • U. Jäntsch,
  • M. Rieth,
  • H. C. Schneider,
  • D. Terentyev

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-86746-6
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 1
pp. 1 – 17

Abstract

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Abstract The development of appropriate materials for fusion reactors that can sustain high neutron fluence at elevated temperatures remains a great challenge. Tungsten is one of the promising candidate materials for plasma-facing components of future fusion reactors, due to several favorable properties as for example a high melting point, a high sputtering resistivity, and a low coefficient of thermal expansion. The microstructural details of a tungsten sample with a 1.25 dpa (displacements per atom) damage dose after neutron irradiation at 800 °C were examined by transmission electron microscopy. Three types of radiation-induced defects were observed, analyzed and characterized: (1) voids with sizes ranging from 10 to 65 nm, (2) dislocation loops with a size of up to 10 nm and (3) W–Re–Os containing σ- and χ-type precipitates. The distribution of voids as well as the nature of the occurring dislocation loops were studied in detail. In addition, nano-chemical analyses revealed that the σ- and χ-type precipitates, which are sometimes attached to voids, are surrounded by a solid solution cloud enriched with Re. For the first time the crystallographic orientation relationship of the σ- and χ-phases to the W-matrix was specified. Furthermore, electron energy-loss spectroscopy could not unambiguously verify the presence of He within individual voids.