NSUF 20-3004: Ion Irradiation and TEM Characterization of Polymer Derived C-SiC-SiOC Nanocomposites
The effect of helium ion irradiation-induced displacement damage and implantation effects on microstructure and mechanical properties of novel polymer derived C-SiC-SiOC nanocomposites is not established in the current literature. This proposal aims to (1) understand the fundamental process of irradiation-induced damage evolution in C-SiC-SiOC nanocomposites using advanced TEM and picoindentation techniques, (2) understand the effect of irradiation temperature on the microstructural evolution, (3) compare the irradiation behaviors of C-rich and SiC-rich C-SiC-SiOC nanocomposites. The hypothesis of this proposal is that phase separation of SiOC systems into crystalline C, SiC and amorphous SiOC phases can produce radiation-tolerant microstructures involving crystalline/amorphous interfaces (C/SiOC, SiC/SiOC) that can act as defect sinks and amorphous SiOC matrix with high helium outgassing ability. The proposed work will involve ion irradiation on C-rich and SiC-rich C-SiC-SiOC nanocomposites using 100 keV He ion beam up to 20 dpa peak dose level and 50-60 at% peak He implantation at three different temperatures: room temperature, 400^oC and 800^oC. TEM characterization will be performed to study irradiation response of different phases in C-SiC-SiOC nanocomposites in terms of helium bubble formation, amorphization behavior, pair distribution function (PDF) analysis to reveal changes in short-range ordering in the amorphous SiOC matrix. This work will also study irradiation effects on the mechanical response of C-SiC-SiOC nanocomposites using picoindentation inside a FIB.
Additional Info
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Awarded Institution | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
| Embargo End Date | 2026-02-27 |
| Facility Tech Lead | Alina Montrose, Lin Shao |
| Irradiation Facilities | Accelerator Laboratory |
| NSUF Call | FY 2020 RTE 1st Call |
| PI | Kaustubh Bawane |
| PIE Facilities | Irradiated Materials Characterization Laboratory |
| Prep Facilities | Irradiated Materials Characterization Laboratory |
| Project Member | Dr. Lingfeng He, Associate Professor - North Carolina State University (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2763-1462) |
| Project Member | Dr Kaustubh Bawane, Postdoctoral Research Associate - Idaho National Laboratory |
| Project Member | Prof. Kathy Lu, Professor and Chair - University of Alabama at Birmingham (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2135-6351) |
| Project Notes | Awarded on 02/05/2020 |
| Project Type | RTE |
| RTE Number | 3004 |