| Abstract Scope |
Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) is a powerful technique for characterizing the effects of irradiation and post-irradiation thermal processing on the microstructure of reactor structural materials on length scales from 0.5-500nm. Neutrons are extremely penetrating for some common shielding materials like lead, allowing the safe handling of highly radioactive, recently irradiated samples, and they are sensitive to light elements--especially isotopes of hydrogen--and to magnetic ordering. Irradiated samples prepared for mechanical testing can frequently be studied without modification. In this talk I will present the results of measurements of microstructural changes due to irradiation in structural ceramics and steels, post-irradiation in-situ heat treatment of reactor steels, and the quantification of hydrogen content in fuel cladding and proton accelerator targets alloys using the GP-SANS instrument at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's High Flux Isotope Reactor. |