The effects of 800 MeV proton irradiation on the corrosion of tungsten, tantalum, stainless steel, and gold

Abstract

Real time electrochemical data were acquired for tungsten, tantalum, stainless steel 304L, and gold targets during proton irradiation at the LANSCE Weapons Neutron Research Facility. The goal of this research was to establish a better understanding of the corrosion properties of materials as a function of proton irradiation and gain insight into the mechanism of the observed phenomena. The following electrochemical observations were made during proton irradiation of W, Ta, SS304, and Au: (1) the open circuit potential of all materials increased with increasing proton fluence; (2) the corrosion rate (at the OCP) of W and SS304 increased with increasing proton fluence; (3) the passive dissolution rate for SS304 and Ta decreased with increasing proton fluence; (4) the anodic dissolution rate for W increased with increasing proton fluence; (5) the pitting potential for SS304 increased with proton fluence, which is an indication that the material is less susceptible to pitting attack during irradiation.