Sink Strengths Research Articles

Seawater sulfate dynamics and a new tipping point in the Earth system

Seawater sulfate (SO42−) concentrations have changed by orders of magnitude in response to atmospheric and ocean redox dynamics throughout Earth’s history. A fundamental model that constrains seawater SO42− dynamics based on the principles of mass balance, however, is still lacking. Here, we used a dynamical systems approach to determine the effects of global source and sink strengths on seawater SO42− concentrations. Our stochastic analysis of the SO42− mass balance revealed two most probable seawater SO42− concentration ranges: one under widespread oceanic anoxic conditions with SO42− concentrations <1000 µM, and the other with SO42− concentrations around or above 10,000 µM under widely oxygenated ocean conditions. Swings between these two seawater SO42− concentration ranges are notably evident during the Phanerozoic Eon and developed in response to reoccurring oceanic anoxic events. We also identified a threshold for the extent of oceanic anoxia above which seawater SO42− concentrations collapse to <1000 µM, with corresponding impacts on global biogeochemical cycles, biology, and climate.

Source leaves are regulated by sink strengths through non-coding RNAs and alternative polyadenylation in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)

BackgroundThe yield of major crops is generally limited by sink capacity and source strength. Cucumber is a typical raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs)–transporting crop. Non-coding RNAs and alternative polyadenylation (APA) play important roles in the regulation of growth process in plants. However, their roles on the sink‒source regulation have not been demonstrated in RFOs–translocating species.ResultsHere, whole–transcriptome sequencing was applied to compare the leaves of cucumber under different sink strength, that is, no fruit-carrying leaves (NFNLs) and fruit-carrying leaves (FNLs) at 12th node from the bottom. The results show that 1101 differentially expressed (DE) mRNAs, 79 DE long non–coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and 23 DE miRNAs were identified, which were enriched in photosynthesis, energy production and conversion, plant hormone signal transduction, starch and carbohydrate metabolism and protein synthesis pathways. Potential co–expression networks like, DE lncRNAs–DE mRNAs/ DE miRNAs–DE mRNAs, and competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulation models (DE lncRNAs–DE miRNAs–DE mRNAs) associated with sink‒source allocation, were constructed. Furthermore, 37 and 48 DE genes, which enriched in MAPK signaling and plant hormone signal transduction pathway, exist differentially APA, and SPS (CsaV3_2G033300), GBSS1 (CsaV3_5G001560), ERS1 (CsaV3_7G029600), PNO1 (CsaV3_3G003950) and Myb (CsaV3_3G022290) may be regulated by both ncRNAs and APA between FNLs and NFNLs, speculating that ncRNAs and APA are involved in the regulation of gene expression of cucumber sink‒source carbon partitioning.ConclusionsThese results reveal a comprehensive network among mRNAs, ncRNAs, and APA in cucumber sink–source relationships. Our findings also provide valuable information for further research on the molecular mechanism of ncRNA and APA to enhance cucumber yield.

In-situ analysis on defect evolution in potassium-doped tungsten during synergistic He+ and H2+ dual-beam irradiation

Potassium-doped tungsten (KW), as an advanced candidate for first wall material, was developed to mitigate intrinsic embrittlement of bulk W. The addition of gaseous potassium bubbles (KBs) was known to act as effective barrier to the motion of irradiation damage and grain boundaries (GBs). The irradiation response to the He/H synergistic effect and the role of KBs on damage defects were two key issues when evaluating the performance of KW in future fusion reactors. In this work, KW was in-situ irradiated by 30 keV He+ and H2+ with He/H ratios of 2.5, 0.5, and 0.1 at 823 K. The synergy of He, H, and damage defects were discussed. The number density and the average size of irradiation-induced loops and bubbles nearby KBs, nearby GBs, and within the matrix was quantified. Increasing the ratio of H to He enhanced the nucleation sites of loops and promoted the accumulation rates of bubbles. The formation of a loop denuded zone nearby a KB was related to the KB size. The difference between the loop denuded zones nearby KBs and GBs was found. The estimated sink strengths of KBs and GBs were in line with our experimental results.

Herbivore-driven disruption of arbuscular mycorrhizal carbon-for-nutrient exchange is ameliorated by neighboring plants

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi colonize the roots of most plants, forming a near-ubiquitous symbiosis1 that is typically characterized by the bi-directional exchange of fungal-acquired nutrients for plant-fixed carbon.2 Mycorrhizal fungi can form below-ground networks3,4,5,6 with potential to facilitate the movement of carbon, nutrients, and defense signals across plant communities.7,8,9 The importance of neighbors in mediating carbon-for-nutrient exchange between mycorrhizal fungi and their plant hosts remains equivocal, particularly when other competing pressures for plant resources are present. We manipulated carbon source and sink strengths of neighboring pairs of host plants through exposure to aphids and tracked the movement of carbon and nutrients through mycorrhizal fungal networks with isotope tracers. When carbon sink strengths of both neighboring plants were increased by aphid herbivory, plant carbon supply to extraradical mycorrhizal fungal hyphae was reduced, but mycorrhizal phosphorus supply to both plants was maintained, albeit variably, across treatments. However, when the sink strength of only one plant in a pair was increased, carbon supply to mycorrhizal fungi was restored. Our results show that loss of carbon inputs into mycorrhizal fungal hyphae from one plant may be ameliorated through inputs of a neighbor, demonstrating the responsiveness and resilience of mycorrhizal plant communities to biological stressors. Furthermore, our results indicate that mycorrhizal nutrient exchange dynamics are better understood as community-wide interactions between multiple players rather than as strict exchanges between individual plants and their symbionts, suggesting that mycorrhizal C-for-nutrient exchange is likely based more on unequal terms of trade than the "fair trade" model for symbiosis.

Interactions between displacement cascades and grain boundaries in NiFe single-phase concentrated solid solution alloys

Single-phase concentrated solid solution alloys (SP-CSAs) are promising structural materials with excellent irradiation resistance. It is very important for their application in nuclear reactor structures to understand the interactions between their grain boundaries (GBs) and irradiation-induced defects. With molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, the displacement cascades in NiFe SP-CSAs with Σ5(210) symmetrical tilt GB were studied. Compared with pure Ni, NiFe has higher sink strength of GB for vacancies but has little effect on the interstitial absorption of GB. The formation energies of interstitials and vacancies near the GB are more dispersed, so that the point defects are more difficult to aggregate, which is beneficial for the recombination of interstitials and vacancies near the GB. Both the formation energies of point defects and the sink strengths of GB for point defects could be changed with the SP-CSA compositions. When the Fe atom concentration is higher than 30 at.%, the point defects are easier to annihilate. Both the effects of the PKA energy and the PKA-GB distance on the displacement cascades damage can be explained with the size of overlapping region between the cascade region and GB. In addition, the formation of SP-CSAs helps to annihilate the vacancies in NiFe with Σ37(750) symmetrical tilt GB and Σ5 twist GB.

13C labeling unravels carbon dynamics in banana between mother plant, sucker and corm under drought stress.

Banana is a perennial crop and typically consists of a mother plant and one or more suckers that will serve as the next generation. Suckers are photosynthetically active, but also receive photo-assimilates from the mother plant. While drought stress is the most important abiotic constraint to banana cultivation, its effect on suckers or banana mats as a whole remains unknown. To investigate whether parental support to suckers is altered under drought stress and to determine the photosynthetic cost to the parental plant, we conducted a 13C labeling experiment. We labeled banana mother plants with 13CO2 and traced the label up to two weeks after labeling. This was done under optimal and drought-stressed conditions in plants with and without suckers. We retrieved label in the phloem sap of the corm and sucker as soon as 24 hours after labeling. Overall, 3.1 ± 0.7% of label assimilated by the mother plant ended up in the sucker. Allocation to the sucker seemed to be reduced under drought stress. The absence of a sucker did not enhance the growth of the mother plant; instead, plants without suckers had higher respiratory losses. Furthermore, 5.8 ± 0.4% of the label was allocated to the corm. Sucker presence and drought stress each led to an increase in starch accumulation in the corm, but when both stress and a sucker were present, the amount was severely reduced. Furthermore, the second to fifth fully open leaves were the most important source of photo-assimilates in the plant, but the two younger developing leaves assimilated the same amount of carbon as the four active leaves combined. They exported and imported photo-assimilates simultaneously, hence acting as both source and sink. 13C labeling has allowed us to quantify source and sink strengths of different plant parts, as well as the carbon fluxes between them. We conclude that drought stress and sucker presence, respectively causing a reduction in supply and an increase in carbon demand, both increased the relative amount of carbon allocated to storage tissues. Their combination, however, led to insufficient availability of assimilates and hence a reduced investment in long-term storage and sucker growth.

Diffusion Characteristics of Clusters of Self-Interstitial Atoms in Vanadium: Molecular Dynamics Data

The temperature dependences of diffusion characteristics of the irradiation-induced defects, namely, clusters of self-interstitial atoms (SIAs) containing up to five atoms, in bcc V (vanadium) have been studied by the method of molecular dynamics in the temperature range of 300–1000 K. The diffusion characteristics include the coefficient of diffusion, the tracer correlation factor, the average displacement before changing the direction of migration, and the frequency of changing the direction of migration. The values of the activation energy of diffusion and the activation energy of changing the direction of migration for the considered types of defects in different temperature ranges have been determined. The dependences of the mechanism of (1D vs 3D) diffusion of SIA clusters on the temperature and cluster size and their possible influence on the parameters of phenomenological models of changes in the microstructure of a material under irradiation (sink strengths of spherical absorbers) are discussed.

Physiological implications of SWEETs in plants and their potential applications in improving source-sink relationships for enhanced yield.

The sugars will eventually be exported transporters (SWEET) family of transporters in plants is identified as a novel class of sugar carriers capable of transporting sugars, sugar alcohols and hormones. Functioning in intercellular sugar transport, SWEETs influence a wide range of physiologically important processes. SWEETs regulate the development of sink organs by providing nutritional support from source leaves, responses to abiotic stresses by maintaining intracellular sugar concentrations, and host-pathogen interactions through the modulation of apoplastic sugar levels. Many bacterial and fungal pathogens activate the expression of SWEET genes in species such as rice and Arabidopsis to gain access to the nutrients that support virulence. The genetic manipulation of SWEETs has led to the generation of bacterial blight (BB)-resistant rice varieties. Similarly, while the overexpression of the SWEETs involved in sucrose export from leaves and pathogenesis led to growth retardation and yield penalties, plants overexpressing SWEETs show improved disease resistance. Such findings demonstrate the complex functions of SWEETs in growth and stress tolerance. Here, we review the importance of SWEETs in plant-pathogen and source-sink interactions and abiotic stress resistance. We highlight the possible applications of SWEETs in crop improvement programmes aimed at improving sink and source strengths important for enhancing the sustainability of yield. We discuss how the adverse effects of the overexpression of SWEETs on plant growth may be overcome.

Simulation of diffusion with non-equilibrium vacancies, Kirkendall shift and porosity in single-phase alloys

In an alloy subject to vacancy-mediated diffusion, differences in intrinsic diffusivities tend to produce vacancy excess and deficit. These are accommodated by mechanisms such as dislocation climb and pore formation. This is of concern in high temperature alloy-coating systems used in industrial applications, as pores may develop at the interface between the alloy and the coating, which is undesired. This paper presents a multicomponent diffusion model with two types of vacancy sinks/sources: one is associated with dislocation climb and generates lattice shift, the other one is associated with porosity increase/decrease. The model is designed toward a 1D implementation, and porosity is described with a local average volume fraction. Thermodynamic properties and mobility are modeled according to the Calphad method to allow future application to engineering materials. Finite-difference simulations run on two binary systems, NiCr and NiSi, illustrate the role of the two types of sinks in interdiffusion and pore development. Diffusion is found to be more sensitive to the sink strengths in the NiSi system, where intrinsic diffusivities have a stronger composition dependence. This work provides a basis for the evaluation of the parameters involved in vacancy generation/annihilation (e.g. dislocation density) from experimental data, such as concentration profiles obtained from diffusion couple experiments, and for the prediction of porosity in engineering materials.

The role of Cr concentration and temperature on cavity swelling with co-injected helium in dual-ion irradiated Fe and Fe-Cr alloys

The level of chromium plays an essential role in irradiation tolerance of Fe-Cr ferritic alloys. However, conflicting results have been reported regarding the dependence of cavity swelling under irradiation on Cr level and temperature. Here, we have performed a comprehensive set of simultaneous dual-ion (Ni + He) irradiations to high dose (∼30 displacements per atom, dpa) at 400–550 °C on a series of ultra-high purity Fe and Fe-Cr binary alloys (3–14 wt.%Cr). Helium co-implantation rates of 0.1 and 10 appm He/dpa were selected to examine He synergistic effects relevant for fission and fusion reactor conditions, respectively. Cavities were observed in all irradiated samples by transmission electron microscopy. The results show that higher He implantation rate causes a shift in the swelling peak to higher temperatures in both Fe and Fe-Cr alloys. When assuming smaller cavities as biased sinks, the non-monotonic nature of the cavity swelling behavior is related to the ratio of biased to unbiased point defect sink strengths. Cr-enriched precipitates were observed in Fe-14Cr irradiated at 400 °C by atom probe tomography. Our analysis suggests the formation of Cr-enriched precipitates could suppress cavity swelling for Fe-Cr alloys with Cr content above 10 wt%.

Alpine wetland degradation reduces carbon sequestration in the Zoige Plateau, China

Alpine wetland plays an important role in the global carbon balance but are experiencing severe degradation under climate change and human activities. With the aim to clarify the effect of alpine wetland degradation on carbon fluxes (including net ecosystem CO2 exchange, NEE; ecosystem respiration, ER; gross ecosystem productivity, GEP, and CH4 flux), we investigated 12 sites and measured carbon fluxes using the static chamber method in the Zoige alpine wetland during August 2018, including undegraded wetland (UD), lightly degraded wetland (LD), moderately degraded wetland (MD), and severely degraded wetland (SD). The results showed that carbon sink strengths differ among the Zoige wetlands with different degradation stages during the growing season. From UD to LD, the rate of carbon sequestration (mean value of NEE) increased by 25.70%; however, from LD to SD, it decreased by 81.67%. Wetland degradation significantly reduced soil water content (SWC), soil organic carbon (SOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN). NEE was significantly correlated with MBC and MBN, while ER was positively correlated with ST but negatively correlated with SOC (P < 0.01). Among all measured environmental factors, GEP was positively correlated with pH (P < 0.01), while CH4 flux was most closely correlated with SOC, SWC, MBC, MBN, and ST (P < 0.001), and was also affected by pH and NO3– content (P < 0.01). These results suggest that the capacity of carbon sequestration in the Zoige wetlands reduced with intensification of the degradation. This study provides a reference for sustainably managing and utilizing degraded wetlands under climate change.

Separating the effects of air and soil temperature on silver birch. Part II. The relation of physiology and leaf anatomy to growth dynamics.

The aboveground parts of boreal forest trees grow earlier in the growing season, the roots mostly later. The idea was to examine whether root growth followed soil temperature, or whether shoot growth also demanded most resources in the early growing season (soil temperature vs internal sink strengths for resources). The linkage between air and soil temperature was broken by switching the soil temperature. We aimed here to identify the direct effects of different soil temperature patterns on physiology, leaf anatomy and their interactions, and how they relate to the control of the growth dynamics of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth). Sixteen 2-year-old seedlings were grown in a controlled environment for two 14-week simulated growing seasons (GS1, GS2). An 8-week dormancy period interposed the GSs. In GS2, soil temperature treatments were applied: constant 10 °C (Cool), constant 18 °C (Warm), early growing season at 10 °C switched to 18 °C later (Early Cool Late Warm) and 18 °C followed by 10 °C (Early Warm Late Cool) were applied during GS2. The switch from cool to warm enhanced the water status, net photosynthesis, chlorophyll content index, effective yield of photosystem II (ΔF/Fm') and leaf expansion of the seedlings. Warm treatment increased the stomatal number per leaf. In contrast, soil cooling increased glandular trichomes. This investment in increasing the chemical defense potential may be associated with the decreased growth in cool soil. Non-structural carbohydrates were accumulated in leaves at a low soil temperature showing that growth was more hindered than net photosynthesis. Leaf anatomy differed between the first and second leaf flush of silver birch, which may promote tree fitness in the prevailing growing conditions. The interaction of birch structure and function changes with soil temperature, which can further reflect to ecosystem functioning.

The effect of helium on cavity swelling in dual-ion irradiated Fe and Fe-10Cr ferritic alloys

Ferritic-martensitic (FM) steels for in-vessel components in proposed fusion reactors are expected to suffer from high levels of displacement damage and helium (He) generation by neutron transmutation. However, a thorough understanding of the He synergistic effects on the cavity swelling in FM steels is still not well established. To gain fundamental insights into the He effect on cavity swelling, high purity Fe and Fe-10 wt.% Cr ferritic model alloys were irradiated with 8 MeV Ni ions and co-implanted He ions at 400 to 550 °C up to 30 displacements per atom (dpa) with He implantation rates of 0.1, 10 and 50 appm He/dpa. The current study focuses on the 50 appm He/dpa, 500 °C behavior vs. 0.1 and 10 appm He/dpa. Irradiation-induced defects, including cavities, dislocation loops, and dislocation networks were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In the grain interior, a bimodal cavity size distribution was observed in the 10 and 50 appm He/dpa samples, but not for 0.1 appm He/dpa. Cavity swelling was maximized at intermediate He implantation rates of ∼10 appm He/dpa for both ion-irradiated Fe and Fe-10Cr alloys. The cavity swelling behavior as a function of He implantation rate appears to be controlled by the He/dpa-dependent variation of cavity sink strengths. Treating small bubbles as biased sinks for interstitial absorption can significantly increase the ratio of biased to unbiased sink strengths (Q) and results in maximized cavity swelling for a Q ratio close to one.

Improved irradiation resistance of accident-tolerant high-strength FeCrAl alloys with heterogeneous structures

Post–neutron irradiation examination is performed on advanced accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) cladding iron-chromium-aluminum (FeCrAl) alloys with ∼10–13at. % Cr, ∼10–12 at. % Al, ∼1 at. % Mo, and minor alloying elements including Y irradiated to a damage level of 7 displacements per atom (dpa) at irradiation temperatures of 267–282 °C. A compositional dependency of the Cr and Al content is observed on the ratio of sessile and glissile dislocation loops, where the density of a⟨100⟩ type loops is somewhat higher than the a/2⟨111⟩ type loops. The α′ precipitate number density is inversely correlated to the starting Cr concentration of the alloys of interest. The irradiation to a higher dose of 7 dpa results in a higher density of dislocation loops and α′ precipitates for the same alloys at a lower irradiation dose, such as 1.8 dpa. In this work, the effect of α′ precipitates on the dislocation loop density is discussed, and the presence of α′ appears to inhibit the nucleation of loops. Compared with first-generation FeCrAl alloys, these advanced alloys with heterogeneous structure exhibit a lower Cr concentration in α′ precipitation at the same dose level; they act as weaker obstacles deviating from the primary hardening contribution from the mature α′. Hence, the overall irradiation-induced hardening decreases; our alloys show improved radiation resistance because of their stronger sink strengths. The results presented in this paper could provide insights for the design and optimization of ATF cladding materials for future fission and space applications.

In-situ radiation response of additively manufactured modified Inconel 718 alloys

In this study, a novel alloy of modified Inconel 718 produced by laser powder bed fusion is studied before and after in-situ Kr irradiation up to 3 dpa at 200 and 450 °C. Before irradiation, the microstructure consists of dislocation cells having a misorientation angle less than 5° and with an average size of ~500 nm. There are also second phase particles of MC type carbides, Laves phase and oxides such as Y-O, Y-(Ti)-Al-O. While the microstructure consists of stacking fault tetrahedra, faulted and perfect loops after irradiation at 200 °C, dislocation loops are the primary defects at 450 °C. With increasing dose, the size of the defects remains similar at 200 °C while it increases at 450 °C. This has been attributed to the existence of vacancy type defects at 200 °C and the different defect transport mechanisms at different temperatures. Moreover, matrix and second phase particle compositions seem to be similar after irradiation. The sink strengths of the structures have been calculated and superior radiation resistance of this alloy has been attributed to the existence of fine cell boundaries stabilized by the second phase particles produced by additive manufacturing.

In-situ observation of damage structure in Cu-Cr-Zr and Cu-Cr alloy during 1.25 MeV electron irradiation

The sink strengths of precipitate/matrix interfaces in Cu alloys, were investigated by performing in-situ observation of electron irradiation in high-voltage electron microscopy (HVEM). Fine black spot defects, which seemed to be dislocation loops were observed at irradiation temperature ranging between RT and 373 K in Cu–Cr–Zr, Cu–Cr and GlidCop Al–60 alloys with low number density. In Cu–Cr, loops formed on a part of precipitates interfaces. Hence, a part of precipitate/matrix interfaces is a sink with interstitial bias. Whereas, most of the interfaces are neutral sinks for point defects. In the case of Cu–Cr–Zr and GlidCop Al–60, black spots formed around dislocation, which were induced during two-step heat treatment. The results showed that the precipitate/matrix interface of Cr-rich precipitates in Cu alloys serve as a strong sink for point defects.

Absorption kinetics of vacancies by cavities in aluminum: Numerical characterization of sink strengths and first-passage statistics through Krylov subspace projection and eigenvalue deflation

Modeling the microstructural evolution of metal and alloys, specifically under irradiation, is essential to predict the aging properties of materials. Many models are based on a transition rate matrix describing the jump frequencies of defects and involve a master equation governing the time evolution of a state probability vector. Here, we present non-stochastic numerical techniques to characterize the motion of individual defects migrating over long distances prior to recombining or being absorbed by another defect, resorting to the theory of absorbing Markov chains. These important events are fully determined by their first-passage time distribution to distant locations, no-passage distribution, and walker fluxes to the sinks. We show that these functions can be efficiently computed using a method combining Krylov subspace projection and eigenvalue deflation. For a model system describing the absorption of a vacancy by a cavity in aluminum, the use of a small Krylov subspace deflated by the unique eigenmode corresponding to the quasi-stationary distribution is sufficient to capture the kinetics of the defect absorption faithfully. This method can be used in kinetic Monte Carlo simulations to perform stochastic non-local moves or in cluster dynamics simulations to compute sink strengths.

Triggering Bimodal Radial Stem Growth in Pinus sylvestris at a Drought-Prone Site by Manipulating Stem Carbon Availability.

A bimodal radial growth (RG) pattern, i.e., growth peaks in spring and autumn, was repeatedly found in trees in the Mediterranean regions, where summer drought causes reduction or cessation of cambial activity. In a dry inner Alpine valley of the Eastern Alps (Tyrol, Austria, 750 m asl), Pinus sylvestris shows unimodal RG with onset and cessation of cambial activity in early April and late June, respectively. A resumption of cambial activity after intense summer rainfall was not observed in this region. In a field experiment, we tested the hypothesis that early cessation of cambial activity at this drought-prone site is an adaptation to limited water availability leading to an early and irreversible switch of carbon (C) allocation to belowground. To accomplish this, the C status of young P. sylvestris trees was manipulated by physical blockage of phloem transport (girdling) 6 weeks after cessation of cambial cell division. Influence of manipulated C availability on RG was recorded by stem dendrometers, which were mounted above the girdling zone. In response to blockage of phloem flow, resumption of cambial activity was detected above girdling after about 2 weeks. Although the experimentally induced second growth surge lasted for the same period as in spring (c. 2 months), the increment was more than twice as large due to doubling of daily maximum RG rate. After girdling, wood anatomical traits above girdling no longer showed any significant differences between earlywood and latewood tracheids indicating pronounced effects of C availability on cell differentiation. Below girdling, no reactivation of cambial activity occurred, but cell wall thickness of last formed latewood cell was reduced due to lack of C supply after girdling. Intense RG resumption after girdling indicates that cessation of cambial activity can be reversed by manipulating C status of the stem. Hence, our girdling study yielded strong support for the hypothesis that belowground organs exert high C sink strengths on the drought-prone study site. Furthermore, this work highlights the need of in-depth experimental studies in order to understand the interactions between endogenous and exogenous factors on cambial activity and xylem cell differentiation more clearly.

Effect of sink strength on coherency loss of precipitates in dilute Cu-base alloys during in situ ion irradiation

In situ irradiations with 1 MeV Kr ions at 50~613 K up to a fluence of 6.25 × 1014 ions/cm2 (~1.25 displacements per atom, dpa) have been performed on pre-aged dilute Cu-0.9%Co, Cu-0.9%Fe and Cu-0.8%Cr alloys containing uniform matrix dispersions of coherent precipitates in order to study the effects of initial precipitate sink strength, damage dose and irradiation temperature on radiation-induced coherency loss of precipitates. Coherent precipitates with different point defect sink strengths (2πNd, where N and d are the precipitate density and diameter) were used in this work to examine potential differences in atomic relaxation during absorption of point defects. In all cases, irradiation to low doses (<~1 dpa) was very effective at inducing loss of precipitate coherency. At low sink strengths (~1013 m−2), loss of precipitate coherency could be induced for doses ~0.01 dpa. This suggests there might be an efficient preferential medium-range strain-induced bias for absorption of interstitial defects due to tensile strains emanating from the undersized precipitates, which induces relatively rapid loss of coherency at low precipitate sink strengths. High precipitate sink strength (~1014 m−2) conditions were relatively resistant to the radiation-induced loss of coherency (requiring higher doses approaching ~1 dpa) and this might be due to nearly equal numbers of interstitial and vacancy defects arriving at the precipitate interface for such high sink strength conditions. The precipitate coherency loss was observed to have a weak dependence on irradiation temperature. Molecular dynamics simulations confirm a strong effect of precipitate sink strength on the probability of interstitial absorption at precipitates.

Attempts on representing sink strengths with machine learning formulations and the long-term role of crystalline interfaces in the development of irradiation-induced bubbles

The present article addresses an early-stage attempt on replacing the analyticity-based sink strength terms in rate equations by means of a surrogate representation. Here we emphasise, in the context of multiscale modelling, a combinative use of machine learning with scale analysis, through which a set of fine-resolution problems of partial differential equations describing the local sink behaviour, can be asymptotically sorted out from the mean-field kinetics. Hence the training of machine learning formulation is restrictively oriented, that is, to express the local and already identified, but analytically unavailable nonlinear functional relationships between the sink strengths and other local continuum field quantities. Besides, the normally faster diffusion mechanisms on crystalline interfaces are particularly modelled by locally planar rate equations, and their linkages with rate equations for bulk diffusion are formulated by imposing an irregular boundary condition where point defect fluxes are discontinuous across the interfaces. Thus the distinctive role of crystalline interfaces as partial sinks and quick diffusion channels can be investigated. Methodologicalwise, the present treatment is also applicable for studying more complicated situation of long-term sink behaviour observed in irradiated materials.