NSUF 19-1692: He++ Irradiation of Aerosol Jet Printed Silver Structures
A fundamental challenge that this project intends to examine is the feasibility of incorporating additive manufacturing (AM) techniques within the nuclear industry by initiating the development of a database of suitable nuclear grade inks for nuclear instrumentation. The ability to directly write and integrate electronic components onto and into physical packaging can be achieved with advanced manufacturing methods, such as aerosol jet printing (AJP). Incorporation of AJP within the nuclear industry would enable the development of advanced sensors for in-pile measurements, and instrument technologies necessary to address critical technology gaps for monitoring and controlling advanced reactor experiments and fuel cycle facilities. Such technology has the potential to influence the management and long-term operation of nuclear power plants. Recently, AJP has demonstrated the ability to print patterns intended for electronic applications, but the environmental robustness of AJP inks for nuclear applications has yet to be investigated.To demonstrate the feasibility of AJP in the nuclear industry, our focus will be on the ‘proof of principle’ of passive AJP-based temperature sensors by developing fundamental knowledge about the microstructural, electrical and thermal effects of irradiation on commercially available AJP electronic grade silver nanoparticle ink. Experiments will aim to compare the electrical, microstructural and thermal properties of AJP structures and their bulk counterparts in order to facilitate the application of AJP for in-pile sensor development. Furthermore, an exploration of substrate effects will performed by irradiating printed structures on sapphire and alumina. Initial investigations have shown that printed structures have different failure mechanisms than that of their bulk counterparts and characterization of these phenomena must occur for the continued development of AJP-based sensors. Scope of WorkFor this Rapid Turnaround Experiment (RTE) in collaboration with staff at Michigan Ion Beam Laboratory (MIBL), we propose the use of He++ irradiation at MIBL as a surrogate for neutron irradiation to support a preliminary screening for the radiation response of the microstructural and electronic properties of Ag AJP structures. SRIM calculations have shown that 3.5 MeV He++ irradiation will fully penetrate the printed Ag structures having a maximal thickness of 5.0 μm. This step will promote the rapid down selection process necessary in developing a Printable Nuclear Grade Materials (PrintNG) library. The timeframe for this irradiation at MIBL is 14 days of total beamline time with 13 days of actual beamtime. Silver printed structures will be printed on both sapphire and alumina substrates. So, a total of four samples will be irradiated, which includes two sapphire and two alumina wafers each having 18 four point structures. The four samples will be subjected to He++ irradiation with alumina and sapphire wafer sets being exposed to the same irradiation conditions. Samples within each set will then vary in the irradiation dose (0.5 dpa and 1.0 dpa) that they receive at 3.5 MeV. The desired test temperature for each sample would be less than or equal to the annealing temperature (<600 °C). After this RTE irradiation at MIBL is complete, the structures will be sent to Boise State University for characterization. Examinations will include electrical characterization utilizing an Agilent 4284 LCR meter, SEM and TEM, housed at Boise State University. Shipment to BSU and examinations will be all be performed at Boise State University, and will be covered under DOE Contracts with Idaho National Laboratory. Results of these RTE evaluations will be documented in appropriate publications and presented at conferences.
Additional Info
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Abstract | A fundamental challenge that this project intends to examine is the feasibility of incorporating additive manufacturing (AM) techniques within the nuclear industry by initiating the development of a database of suitable nuclear grade inks for nuclear instrumentation. The ability to directly write and integrate electronic components onto and into physical packaging can be achieved with advanced manufacturing methods, such as aerosol jet printing (AJP). Incorporation of AJP within the nuclear industry would enable the development of advanced sensors for in-pile measurements, and instrument technologies necessary to address critical technology gaps for monitoring and controlling advanced reactor experiments and fuel cycle facilities. Such technology has the potential to influence the management and long-term operation of nuclear power plants. Recently, AJP has demonstrated the ability to print patterns intended for electronic applications, but the environmental robustness of AJP inks for nuclear applications has yet to be investigated.To demonstrate the feasibility of AJP in the nuclear industry, our focus will be on the ‘proof of principle’ of passive AJP-based temperature sensors by developing fundamental knowledge about the microstructural, electrical and thermal effects of irradiation on commercially available AJP electronic grade silver nanoparticle ink. Experiments will aim to compare the electrical, microstructural and thermal properties of AJP structures and their bulk counterparts in order to facilitate the application of AJP for in-pile sensor development. Furthermore, an exploration of substrate effects will performed by irradiating printed structures on sapphire and alumina. Initial investigations have shown that printed structures have different failure mechanisms than that of their bulk counterparts and characterization of these phenomena must occur for the continued development of AJP-based sensors. Scope of WorkFor this Rapid Turnaround Experiment (RTE) in collaboration with staff at Michigan Ion Beam Laboratory (MIBL), we propose the use of He++ irradiation at MIBL as a surrogate for neutron irradiation to support a preliminary screening for the radiation response of the microstructural and electronic properties of Ag AJP structures. SRIM calculations have shown that 3.5 MeV He++ irradiation will fully penetrate the printed Ag structures having a maximal thickness of 5.0 μm. This step will promote the rapid down selection process necessary in developing a Printable Nuclear Grade Materials (PrintNG) library. The timeframe for this irradiation at MIBL is 14 days of total beamline time with 13 days of actual beamtime. Silver printed structures will be printed on both sapphire and alumina substrates. So, a total of four samples will be irradiated, which includes two sapphire and two alumina wafers each having 18 four point structures. The four samples will be subjected to He++ irradiation with alumina and sapphire wafer sets being exposed to the same irradiation conditions. Samples within each set will then vary in the irradiation dose (0.5 dpa and 1.0 dpa) that they receive at 3.5 MeV. The desired test temperature for each sample would be less than or equal to the annealing temperature (<600 °C). After this RTE irradiation at MIBL is complete, the structures will be sent to Boise State University for characterization. Examinations will include electrical characterization utilizing an Agilent 4284 LCR meter, SEM and TEM, housed at Boise State University. Shipment to BSU and examinations will be all be performed at Boise State University, and will be covered under DOE Contracts with Idaho National Laboratory. Results of these RTE evaluations will be documented in appropriate publications and presented at conferences. |
| Award Announced Date | 2019-02-08T00:00:00 |
| Awarded Institution | Center for Advanced Energy Studies |
| Facility | Microscopy and Characterization Suite |
| Facility Tech Lead | Kevin Field, Yaqiao Wu |
| Irradiation Facility | None |
| PI | Troy Unruh |
| PI Email | [email protected] |
| Project Type | RTE |
| RTE Number | 1692 |