Study of the Effect of Doping ZrO2 Ceramics with MgO to Increase the Resistance to Polymorphic Transformations under the Action of Irradiation.

Alisher E Kurakhmedov,Yeugeniy V Bikhert,Mahambet Alin,Maxim V Zdorovets,Adilet M Temir,Igor A Ivanov,Yerulan O Ungarbayev,Artem L Kozlovskiy

doi:10.3390/nano11123172

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of doping ZrO2 ceramics with MgO on radiation swelling and polymorphic transformations, as a result of irradiation with heavy ions. Interest in these types of materials is due to the great prospects for their use as structural materials for new-generation reactors. The study established the dependences of the phase composition formation and changes in the structural parameters following a change in the concentration of MgO. It has been established that the main mechanism for changing the structural properties of ceramics is the displacement of the cubic c-ZrO2 phase by the Zr0.9Mg0.1O2 substitution phase, which leads to an increase in the stability of ceramic properties to irradiation. It has been determined that an increase in MgO concentration leads to the formation of an impurity phase Zr0.9Mg0.1O2 due to the type of substitution, resulting in changes to the structural parameters of ceramics. During studies of changes in the strength properties of irradiated ceramics, it was found that the formation of a phase in the Zr0.9Mg0.1O2 structure leads to an increase in the resistance to cracking and embrittlement of the surface layers of ceramics.

Highlights

In light of the latest world trends in energy development, increasing attention is paid to nuclear and atomic energy in view of their potential use as a basis for energy production and—in the case of nuclear reactors—hydrogen production [1,2,3]
In the case of an increase in concentration to 0.10 mol.% and higher, the general broadening of the main reflections can be described by three sets of functions, with maxima related to the t-ZrO2 and c-ZrO2 phases, and maxima characteristic of the cubic substitutional phase of Zr0.9 Mg0.1 O2
When analyzing the diffraction pattern of a sample with an MgO dopant content of 0.15 mol.%, it was found that an increase in the content of the Zr0.9 Mg0.1 O2 phase leads to a strong deformation of the peaks, which is characteristic of distortions of interplanar spacings and distortion of the crystal lattice

Summary

Introduction

In light of the latest world trends in energy development, increasing attention is paid to nuclear and atomic energy in view of their potential use as a basis for energy production and—in the case of nuclear reactors—hydrogen production [1,2,3]. In this regard, research into new types of structural materials for the high-temperature nuclear reactors of a new generation deserve special attention. With a small value of the thermal neutron capture cross section, good corrosion and degradation resistance, as well as excellent strength and hardness indicators, there are broad prospects for their use as the structural materials of a new generation [16,17,18,19,20]

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Conclusion