High temperature He bubble evolution and thermal stability of the WTaCrV refractory concentrated solid solution alloy

In this study, we investigate the thermal stability and high-temperature evolution of He bubbles within the structure of the WTaCrV refractory concentrated solid solution alloy (RCSA), which is dedicated to nuclear fusion applications. The material was first irradiated with He+ ions to form nanometr...

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Main Authors: Damian Kalita, Amin Esfandiarpour, Iwona Jóźwik, Yanwen Zhang, Jesper Byggmästar, Mikko J. Alava, Łukasz Kurpaska, William J. Weber, Philip D. Rack, Jacek Jagielski
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-04-01
Series:Materials & Design
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127525001716
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author Damian Kalita
Amin Esfandiarpour
Iwona Jóźwik
Yanwen Zhang
Jesper Byggmästar
Mikko J. Alava
Łukasz Kurpaska
William J. Weber
Philip D. Rack
Jacek Jagielski
author_facet Damian Kalita
Amin Esfandiarpour
Iwona Jóźwik
Yanwen Zhang
Jesper Byggmästar
Mikko J. Alava
Łukasz Kurpaska
William J. Weber
Philip D. Rack
Jacek Jagielski
author_sort Damian Kalita
collection DOAJ
description In this study, we investigate the thermal stability and high-temperature evolution of He bubbles within the structure of the WTaCrV refractory concentrated solid solution alloy (RCSA), which is dedicated to nuclear fusion applications. The material was first irradiated with He+ ions to form nanometric He bubbles within its structure. Subsequently, their high-temperature evolution was studied using an in-situ heating method in a transmission electron microscope over a temperature range of 700 °C to 1000 °C. We found that the bubbles are stable in size up to a temperature of 700 °C and show no agglomeration up to 800 °C. At higher temperatures, the coarsening of the bubbles occurs through the migration and coalescence mechanism; however, even at 1000 °C, the size of the bubbles only slightly exceeds 1 nm. For a more in-depth understanding of the phenomena occurring during high-temperature annealing, molecular dynamics simulations were applied. We demonstrate that the low diffusivity of VmHen clusters in the investigated WTaCrV alloy is responsible for the low tendency for high-temperature coarsening of the bubbles. The results of this study highlight the potential of the WTaCrV RCSA as a refractory, irradiation-resistant material for crucial components in future fusion reactors.
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spelling doaj-art-59e4546d56b5448fb226032e4fd55b5d2025-08-20T02:50:56ZengElsevierMaterials & Design0264-12752025-04-0125211375110.1016/j.matdes.2025.113751High temperature He bubble evolution and thermal stability of the WTaCrV refractory concentrated solid solution alloyDamian Kalita0Amin Esfandiarpour1Iwona Jóźwik2Yanwen Zhang3Jesper Byggmästar4Mikko J. Alava5Łukasz Kurpaska6William J. Weber7Philip D. Rack8Jacek Jagielski9National Centre for Nuclear Research, A. Soltana 7 St., 05-400 Otwock, Poland; Corresponding author.National Centre for Nuclear Research, A. Soltana 7 St., 05-400 Otwock, PolandNational Centre for Nuclear Research, A. Soltana 7 St., 05-400 Otwock, PolandDepartment of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Queen’s University, Kingston Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada; Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USADepartment of Physics, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 43, FI-00014, FinlandNational Centre for Nuclear Research, A. Soltana 7 St., 05-400 Otwock, PolandNational Centre for Nuclear Research, A. Soltana 7 St., 05-400 Otwock, PolandDepartment of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USADepartment of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USANational Centre for Nuclear Research, A. Soltana 7 St., 05-400 Otwock, PolandIn this study, we investigate the thermal stability and high-temperature evolution of He bubbles within the structure of the WTaCrV refractory concentrated solid solution alloy (RCSA), which is dedicated to nuclear fusion applications. The material was first irradiated with He+ ions to form nanometric He bubbles within its structure. Subsequently, their high-temperature evolution was studied using an in-situ heating method in a transmission electron microscope over a temperature range of 700 °C to 1000 °C. We found that the bubbles are stable in size up to a temperature of 700 °C and show no agglomeration up to 800 °C. At higher temperatures, the coarsening of the bubbles occurs through the migration and coalescence mechanism; however, even at 1000 °C, the size of the bubbles only slightly exceeds 1 nm. For a more in-depth understanding of the phenomena occurring during high-temperature annealing, molecular dynamics simulations were applied. We demonstrate that the low diffusivity of VmHen clusters in the investigated WTaCrV alloy is responsible for the low tendency for high-temperature coarsening of the bubbles. The results of this study highlight the potential of the WTaCrV RCSA as a refractory, irradiation-resistant material for crucial components in future fusion reactors.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127525001716Concentrated solid solution alloysHigh entropy alloysIon irradiationRadiation damageHe bubblesin-situ TEM
spellingShingle Damian Kalita
Amin Esfandiarpour
Iwona Jóźwik
Yanwen Zhang
Jesper Byggmästar
Mikko J. Alava
Łukasz Kurpaska
William J. Weber
Philip D. Rack
Jacek Jagielski
High temperature He bubble evolution and thermal stability of the WTaCrV refractory concentrated solid solution alloy
Materials & Design
Concentrated solid solution alloys
High entropy alloys
Ion irradiation
Radiation damage
He bubbles
in-situ TEM
title High temperature He bubble evolution and thermal stability of the WTaCrV refractory concentrated solid solution alloy
title_full High temperature He bubble evolution and thermal stability of the WTaCrV refractory concentrated solid solution alloy
title_fullStr High temperature He bubble evolution and thermal stability of the WTaCrV refractory concentrated solid solution alloy
title_full_unstemmed High temperature He bubble evolution and thermal stability of the WTaCrV refractory concentrated solid solution alloy
title_short High temperature He bubble evolution and thermal stability of the WTaCrV refractory concentrated solid solution alloy
title_sort high temperature he bubble evolution and thermal stability of the wtacrv refractory concentrated solid solution alloy
topic Concentrated solid solution alloys
High entropy alloys
Ion irradiation
Radiation damage
He bubbles
in-situ TEM
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127525001716
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