NSUF 21-4282: Heavy Ion Irradiation and Characterization of Light-Refractory, BCC High-Entropy Alloys
Methods to be Employed: To explore the irradiation response of a new family of high-entropy alloys (HEAs), samples of several light-refractory HEAs have been produced via arc melting (specifically, Cr33Mn33V33, Cr31Mn31Ti7V31, Al15Cr20Mn20Ti10V35, and Al15Co4Cr20Mn20Ti6V35). As part of this RTE, samples of each alloy in addition to a Ti64 standard would be irradiated at the University of Wisconsin Ion Beam Laboratory. Samples from each alloy will be irradiated using 4-MeV V2+ ions at 500 °C to target damages of 50 and 100 dpa. Following heavy-ion irradiation, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) lamellae of each sample will be fabricated by the PI at the PI’s home facility using a focused ion beam (FIB). Once the lamellae are produced, they will be sent to the Characterization Laboratory for Irradiated Materials where the PI will used TEM to examine void swelling, dislocation structures, and chemical redistribution produced by the irradiation.
Potential Impact: Results from this RTE would be potentially impactful for both the HEA and nuclear materials communities. Specifically, since the role of compositional complexity on the irradiation response of HEAs is still not well understood, the selection of a three, four, five, and six component HEA for this RTE will provide experimental data to help elucidate how the role of compositional complexity on irradiation response. Additionally, the light-refractory HEAs selected for this RTE primarily exhibit a single disordered BCC phase which has been studied far less under irradiation than single-phase FCC HEAs in the literature, such as the Cantor alloy (CoCrFeMnNi). Finally, the selection of an HEA family whose principal elements include Cr, Mn, V, and Al will enable results from this RTE to be compared against other compositionally neighboring alloys already under consideration for advanced reactor applications, including HT-9, FeCrAl, and other stainless steels.
Expected Period of Performance: A total of five (5) days of beamtime is expected to irradiate each of the 10 samples at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Ion Beam Laboratory. Five (5) days of machine time is expected to be needed at the Characterization Laboratory for Irradiated Materials for post irradiation examination (PIE). Below is breakdown of the anticipated machine time usage: University of Wisconsin-Madison Ion Beam Laboratory [Ion Irradiation]: Five (5) days Characterization Laboratory for Irradiated Materials [FEI Tecnai TF 30 TEM]: Five (5) days
Anticipated Scientific Outcome: At the conclusion of this RTE, samples of four HEAs of varying compositional complexity and a Ti64 standard will have been irradiated to 50 and 100 dpa at 500 °C. Void swelling, dislocation densities, and chemical redistribution induced by irradiation will have been characterized using TEM. Additionally, results from the RTE will be combined with hardness measurements performed using nanoindentation at the PI’s home facility to examine how the microstructural evolution impacts the mechanical properties of each of the studied alloys.
Additional Info
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Methods to be Employed: To explore the irradiation response of a new family of high-entropy alloys (HEAs), samples of several light-refractory HEAs have been produced via arc melting (specifically, Cr33Mn33V33, Cr31Mn31Ti7V31, Al15Cr20Mn20Ti10V35, and Al15Co4Cr20Mn20Ti6V35). As part of this RTE, samples of each alloy in addition to a Ti64 standard would be irradiated at the University of Wisconsin Ion Beam Laboratory. Samples from each alloy will be irradiated using 4-MeV V2+ ions at 500 °C to target damages of 50 and 100 dpa. Following heavy-ion irradiation, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) lamellae of each sample will be fabricated by the PI at the PI’s home facility using a focused ion beam (FIB). Once the lamellae are produced, they will be sent to the Characterization Laboratory for Irradiated Materials where the PI will used TEM to examine void swelling, dislocation structures, and chemical redistribution produced by the irradiation. Potential Impact: Results from this RTE would be potentially impactful for both the HEA and nuclear materials communities. Specifically, since the role of compositional complexity on the irradiation response of HEAs is still not well understood, the selection of a three, four, five, and six component HEA for this RTE will provide experimental data to help elucidate how the role of compositional complexity on irradiation response. Additionally, the light-refractory HEAs selected for this RTE primarily exhibit a single disordered BCC phase which has been studied far less under irradiation than single-phase FCC HEAs in the literature, such as the Cantor alloy (CoCrFeMnNi). Finally, the selection of an HEA family whose principal elements include Cr, Mn, V, and Al will enable results from this RTE to be compared against other compositionally neighboring alloys already under consideration for advanced reactor applications, including HT-9, FeCrAl, and other stainless steels. Expected Period of Performance: A total of five (5) days of beamtime is expected to irradiate each of the 10 samples at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Ion Beam Laboratory. Five (5) days of machine time is expected to be needed at the Characterization Laboratory for Irradiated Materials for post irradiation examination (PIE). Below is breakdown of the anticipated machine time usage: University of Wisconsin-Madison Ion Beam Laboratory [Ion Irradiation]: Five (5) days Characterization Laboratory for Irradiated Materials [FEI Tecnai TF 30 TEM]: Five (5) days Anticipated Scientific Outcome: At the conclusion of this RTE, samples of four HEAs of varying compositional complexity and a Ti64 standard will have been irradiated to 50 and 100 dpa at 500 °C. Void swelling, dislocation densities, and chemical redistribution induced by irradiation will have been characterized using TEM. Additionally, results from the RTE will be combined with hardness measurements performed using nanoindentation at the PI’s home facility to examine how the microstructural evolution impacts the mechanical properties of each of the studied alloys. |
| Award Announced Date | 2021-06-07T16:14:39.827 |
| Awarded Institution | None |
| Facility | None |
| Facility Tech Lead | Kumar Sridharan |
| Irradiation Facility | None |
| PI | Michael Moorehead |
| PI Email | [email protected] |
| Project Type | RTE |
| RTE Number | 4282 |