About this Abstract |
Meeting |
2023 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
Symposium
|
Transmutation Effects in Fusion Reactor Materials: Critical Challenges & Path Forward
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Presentation Title |
In-situ Helium Bubble Formation and Thermal Evolution in Lithium Metatitanate |
Author(s) |
Amy Sarah Gandy, Sam Waters, Graeme Greaves, Yiqiang Wang |
On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Amy Sarah Gandy |
Abstract Scope |
Lithium metatitanate (Li2TiO3) is a main candidate for the solid tritium breeder material and will be tested in ITER’s blanket modules. The neutron-induced transmutation of lithium to tritium results in the formation of helium. At blanket operating temperatures, helium may diffuse to, and accumulate at Li2TiO3 grain boundaries, resulting in cracking and loss of structural integrity of the ceramic, and / or trap diffusing tritium, reducing tritium extraction efficiency. To investigate the impact of helium generation in Li2TiO3, we produced suites of samples with different grain sizes and levels of porosity, and irradiated them in-situ in a TEM, up to a fluence of 1e17 He ions/cm2, followed by in-situ thermal annealing up to 1000 °C. In this contribution, we present in-situ TEM images which reveal the impact of grain size and morphology on bubble formation, and the effect of electron irradiation on bubble evolution and transformation to faceted cavities. |
Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
Keywords |
Ceramics, Nuclear Materials, Characterization |