Microstructure evolutions of the W–TiC composite conducted by dual-effects from thermal shock and He-ion irradiation

Abstract

Considering that tungsten (W) materials served as the plasma-facing material in the fusion reactor would be exposed to edge-localized modes (ELMs)-like thermal shock loading accompanied with He-ion irradiation, the W–TiC composite produced with a wet-chemical method was conducted by the dual effects from the laser beam thermal shock first and He-ion irradiation later in this work. The microstructure changes of the W–TiC composite before and after two tests were characterized by scanning electron microscopy or transmission electron microscopy. After the laser beam thermal shock test, there was an obvious interface on the exposed surface of the W–TiC composite. Several main cracks and melting areas could be found nearby the interface and center, respectively. Furthermore, a mixture of tungsten oxide and TiC was easy to aggregate and form into circle areas surrounding the melting area. The thermal shock tested that W–TiC composite was then subjected to the He-ion irradiation. The typical features of fuzz structures could be detected on the surface of the W–TiC composite apart from the center of the melting area. Notably, several nano-sized He bubbles deeply distributed at grain boundaries in the melting area, owing to the grain boundary functioning as the free path for He diffusion.