The thermodynamic and kinetic interactions of He interstitial clusters with bubbles in W
- Theoretical Division T-1, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)
- Materials Science and Technology MST-8, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)
Due to its enviable properties, tungsten is a leading candidate plasma facing material in nuclear fusion reactors. However, like many other metals, tungsten is known to be affected by the high doses of helium atoms incoming from the plasma. Indeed, the implanted interstitial helium atoms cluster together and, upon reaching a critical cluster size, convert into substitutional nanoscale He bubbles. These bubbles then grow by absorbing further interstitial clusters from the matrix. This process can lead to deleterious changes in microstructure, degradation of mechanical properties, and contamination of the plasma. In order to better understand the growth process, we use traditional and accelerated molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the interactions between interstitial He clusters and pre-existing bubbles. These interactions are characterized in terms of thermodynamics and kinetics. We show that the proximity of the bubble leads to an enhancement of the trap mutation rate and, consequently, to the nucleation of satellite bubbles in the neighborhood of existing ones. We also uncover a number of mechanisms that can lead to the subsequent annihilation of such satellite nanobubbles.
- OSTI ID:
- 22596709
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 119, Issue 20; Other Information: (c) 2016 Author(s); Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
GENERAL PHYSICS
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ANNIHILATION
ATOMS
BUBBLES
CONTAMINATION
DOSES
FIRST WALL
HELIUM
KINETICS
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
MICROSTRUCTURE
MOLECULAR DYNAMICS METHOD
NANOSTRUCTURES
NUCLEATION
PLASMA
SIMULATION
THERMODYNAMICS
THERMONUCLEAR REACTORS
TUNGSTEN