About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Accelerated Qualification Methods for Nuclear Reactor Structural Materials
|
| Presentation Title |
Strain field and chemical evolution of MX precipitates in model ferritic alloys after neutron irradiation at 490°C to 7.4 dpa |
| Author(s) |
Emily R. Proehl, Yan-Ru Lin, Weicheng Zhong, Steven Zinkle |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Emily R. Proehl |
| Abstract Scope |
"Sink strength", or the capacity of a microstructural feature to promote point defect recombination, can be enhanced through a high number density of nanoscale precipitates, a prominent strategy for improving radiation tolerance in nuclear structural materials. The strain fields surrounding precipitate interfaces directly correlate with capture radii for point defects and defect clusters, enabling recombination processes. This study examines two model ferritic alloys containing nanoscale TaC and TaN MX-type precipitates, respectively, before and after neutron irradiation to 7.4 dpa at 490°C in the High Flux Isotope Reactor. The strain field evolution of the MX precipitates was mapped using atomic resolution images from a Cs-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) and geometric phase analysis (GPA), while atom probe tomography (APT) characterized their chemical evolution. Our observations of MX precipitate stability and defect interactions provide insights for optimizing ferritic-martensitic steel alloy design. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Characterization, Nuclear Materials, Iron and Steel |