NSUF 19-1732: Radiation Tolerance of Nanoporous Gadolinium Titanate
The method that will be employed to study the radiation tolerance of the pyrocholore sample (nanoporous gadolinium titanate) is in-situ ion irradiation with in the transmission electron microscopy. This study is enhanced by our sample’s unique microstructure. The sample has three different layers that have different microstructural features: nanograined, nanoporous, and single crystal. Where this study advances on the literature is by introducing the concept of the nanopores as an alternative to other microstructurs with a high density of defect sink. The surface of such pores are expected to act as more efficient/effective defect sinks in comparison to the dense nanograined samples. This unique microstructure has the promise of improving the suitability of pyrocholore ceramic systems for nuclear waste forms. There are many studies that focus on the microstructure-amorphization relationship, but none of them consider a nanoporous structure. Most studies consider a single microstructural characteristic e.g. just single crystal or nanograined. Because our specimen contains three unique microstructural configurations, the in-situ observations will allow us to directly compare the irradiation behavior of the pyrochlore systems under the exact same irradiation conditions. Four different temperature regimes will be explored wherein we will target unique regimes of defects mobilities and recombination rates according to current understanding of radiation enhanced diffusion. The data that will be collected during these experiments include both video and selected area electron diffraction patterns. The in-situ video collected during irradiation can be post-processed to provide detailed information on the microstructural changes, e.g. pore coarsening or grain growth, in the sample as function of irradiation dose. This is an important aspect of the experiment because microstructure changes will affect the effectiveness of the defect sinks, e.g. by increasing the distance between sinks, with in the microstructure. The selected area electron diffraction patterns for each of the unique microstructural configurations will be collected after a set dose. These images will indicate the progress towards amorphization (degree of crystallinity) in each of the areas. These observations have the potential to impact the state of the knowledge base in the nuclear ceramics and fuels communities by showing a new microstructures that can enhance the radiation tolerance of the pyrochlore systems. This enhanced radiation tolerance of the pyrochlore class of ceramics will make the nuclear waste disposal material a stronger candidate.
Additional Info
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Awarded Institution | University of Illinois |
| Embargo End Date | 2026-02-27 |
| Facility Tech Lead | Mukesh Bachhav, Wei-Ying Chen |
| Irradiation Facilities | Intermediate Voltage Electron Microscopy (IVEM)-Tandem Facility |
| NSUF Call | FY 2019 RTE 2nd Call |
| PI | Jessica Krogstad |
| Project Member | Nathan Madden - University of Illinois |
| Project Member | Dr. Jessica Krogstad, Assistant Professor - University of Illinois (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0628-0501) |
| Project Notes | Awarded on 05/14/2019 |
| Project Type | RTE |
| Publication | Krogstad, J.A. “Indirectly tracking point defect accumulation and transport in ceramics through in situ ion irradiation an image analysis.” National Academies Condensed Matter and Materials Research Committee Workshop on Materials in Extreme Environments: New Monitoring Tools and Data-Driven Approaches. 2022 Washington, DC. Jessica Krogstad National Academies Condensed Matter and Materials Research Committee Workshop on Materials in Extreme Environments: New Monitoring Tools and Data-Driven Approaches |
| Publication | Krogstad, J.A. “Reading between the reflections: Order, disorder, transport and functionality.” 2022 MateriAlZ Seminar Series, Arizona State University and University of Arizona. (via Zoom) Jessica Krogstad None |
| Publication | Krogstad, J.A., “Seemingly Homogenous Metallic Systems: Subtle Deviations and Their Role in Material Evolution and Functionality.” 2022 Oak Ridge/Knoxville Chapter of ASMI. (via Zoom) Jessica Krogstad None |
| Publication | In situ ion irradiation of gadolinium titanate: a perspective on microstructure and memory Nathan Madden 2021 MS&T Conference |
| Publication | Krogstad, J.A. "Dynamic, radiation tolerant ceramics: Understanding defect mobility and microstructural evolution in ceramics subject to ion irradiation." 2021 International Conference on Advanced Ceramics and Composites. Invited Jubilee Global Diversity Award Lecture. (via Zoom) Jessica Krogstad None |
| Publication | Krogstad, J.A. “Exploring the potential of concentrated defects: Their role in mass transport, microstructural evolution and material functionality.” 2021 Department Materials Science and Engineering, University of Maryland, MD. (via Zoom) Jessica Krogstad None |
| Publication | N.J. Madden, M.T. Janish, J.A. Valdez, B.P. Uberuaga, J.A. Krogstad. “Radiation Tolerance of Nanoporous Gadolinium Titanate.” Nathan Madden, Jessica Krogstad None None None |
| Publication | Measuring radiation enhanced diffusion through in situ ion radiation induced sintering of oxide nanoparticles Jessica Krogstad None None https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3951050 |
| Publication | Ion Irradiation Driven Amorphization-Recrystallization Cycling in Gadolinium Titanate Nathan Madden, Jessica Krogstad None None None |
| RTE Number | 1732 |