| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2022 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Synergistic Irradiation, Corrosion, and Microstructural Evolution in Nuclear Materials
|
| Presentation Title |
4D-STEM and Atomic Resolution Analysis of He–rich Gas Bubbles Formed in Au Thin Films via He-ion Irradiation |
| Author(s) |
Sean H. Mills, Andrew Minor |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Sean H. Mills |
| Abstract Scope |
Extreme nuclear reactor environments require materials to maintain their integrity all while a range of processes act in unison to degrade their performance. Complex interactions between point defects, such as stacking fault tetrahedra (SFTs), vacancy clusters, and gas-filled bubbles that form via irradiation directly contribute to radiation-induced hardening of FCC metals. Moreover, He embrittlement at higher temperatures must be understood for the development of next generation reactor structural materials. Here we implement novel high resolution imaging techniques to observe He-rich gas bubbles embedded in model Au thin films exposed to ion damage via helium ion microscope (HIM). The 4D-STEM technique is used to determine the associated strain behavior surrounding nanoscale bubbles and neighboring defects after in-situ aging designed to grow the bubbles to an observable size. HRSTEM captures spatial information of retained He atoms at near atomic resolution to provide new evidence of their role in forming irradiation defects. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Nuclear Materials, Characterization, Thin Films and Interfaces |