Ultrastrong nanocrystalline steel with exceptional thermal stability and radiation tolerance

Congcong Du, Shenbao Jin, Yuan Fang, Jin Li, Shenyang Hu, Tingting Yang, Ying Zhang, Jianyu Huang, Gang Sha (), Yugang Wang (), Zhongxia Shang, Xinghang Zhang, Baoru Sun, Shengwei Xin and Tongde Shen ()
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Congcong Du: Yanshan University
Shenbao Jin: Nanjing University of Science and Technology
Yuan Fang: Peking University
Jin Li: Purdue University
Shenyang Hu: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Tingting Yang: Yanshan University
Ying Zhang: Yanshan University
Jianyu Huang: Yanshan University
Gang Sha: Nanjing University of Science and Technology
Yugang Wang: Peking University
Zhongxia Shang: Purdue University
Xinghang Zhang: Purdue University
Baoru Sun: Yanshan University
Shengwei Xin: Yanshan University
Tongde Shen: Yanshan University

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Nanocrystalline (NC) metals are stronger and more radiation-tolerant than their coarse-grained (CG) counterparts, but they often suffer from poor thermal stability as nanograins coarsen significantly when heated to 0.3 to 0.5 of their melting temperature (Tm). Here, we report an NC austenitic stainless steel (NC-SS) containing 1 at% lanthanum with an average grain size of 45 nm and an ultrahigh yield strength of ~2.5 GPa that exhibits exceptional thermal stability up to 1000 °C (0.75 Tm). In-situ irradiation to 40 dpa at 450 °C and ex-situ irradiation to 108 dpa at 600 °C produce neither significant grain growth nor void swelling, in contrast to significant void swelling of CG-SS at similar doses. This thermal stability is due to segregation of elemental lanthanum and (La, O, Si)-rich nanoprecipitates at grain boundaries. Microstructure dependent cluster dynamics show grain boundary sinks effectively reduce steady-state vacancy concentrations to suppress void swelling upon irradiation.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07712-x

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