Effect of nanostructure on radiation tolerance and deuterium retention in tungsten

Abstract

Understanding of radiation tolerance and hydrogen accumulation in nanomaterials is an urgent challenge since it may open new perspectives to design advanced materials for extreme conditions, for example, nuclear energy systems. In this work, intrinsic defects in nanostructured tungsten (W) films with different grain sizes were studied by decoration with deuterium (D). This method was also successfully applied to detect defects at the interface between the coating and the substrate, as well as radiation-induced defects. The build-up of D at the interface between the coating and the substrate was observed, which can be a concern for both un-irradiated and neutron-irradiated materials. It was found that the concentration of D in W materials drastically increases with decreasing mean grain size. However, the D concentration at radiation-induced defects produced by self-ion irradiation at room temperature to 3 displacements per atom is the same for all types of coatings, and it is the same as for polycrystalline W. This implies that the density of radiation-induced defects is the same for all types of W coatings, regardless of the crystalline structure of a W material. In this respect, a compromise in the development of new promising nanostructured tungsten films is necessary to ensure the radiation resistance, keeping the hydrogen concentration at an acceptable level and reducing/preventing high density of defects at the interface between the nanostructured coating and the substrate.