In-situ atomic-scale observation of irradiation-induced void formation

Weizong Xu, Yongfeng Zhang, Guangming Cheng, Weiwei Jian, Paul C. Millett, Carl C. Koch, Suveen N. Mathaudhu and Yuntian Zhu ()
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Weizong Xu: North Carolina State University
Yongfeng Zhang: Fuels Modeling and Simulations, Idaho National Laboratory
Guangming Cheng: North Carolina State University
Weiwei Jian: North Carolina State University
Paul C. Millett: University of Arkansas
Carl C. Koch: North Carolina State University
Suveen N. Mathaudhu: US Army Research Office, Research Triangle Park
Yuntian Zhu: North Carolina State University

Nature Communications, 2013, vol. 4, issue 1, 1-6

Abstract: Abstract The formation of voids in an irradiated material significantly degrades its physical and mechanical properties. Void nucleation and growth involve discrete atomic-scale processes that, unfortunately, are not yet well understood due to the lack of direct experimental examination. Here we report an in-situ atomic-scale observation of the nucleation and growth of voids in hexagonal close-packed magnesium under electron irradiation. The voids are found to first grow into a plate-like shape, followed by a gradual transition to a nearly equiaxial geometry. Using atomistic simulations, we show that the initial growth in length is controlled by slow nucleation kinetics of vacancy layers on basal facets and anisotropic vacancy diffusivity. The subsequent thickness growth is driven by thermodynamics to reduce surface energy. These experiments represent unprecedented resolution and characterization of void nucleation and growth under irradiation, and might help with understanding the irradiation damage of other hexagonal close-packed materials.

Date: 2013
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms3288

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