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Title: Opposite correlations between cation disordering and amorphization resistance in spinels versus pyrochlores

Journal Article · · Nature Communications
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms9750· OSTI ID:1239355
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [1];  [3];  [1];  [4]
  1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  2. Thermo-Calc Software Inc., Pittsburgh, PA (United States)
  3. Loughborough Univ., Loughborough (United Kingdom)
  4. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)

Understanding and predicting radiation damage evolution in complex materials is crucial for developing next-generation nuclear energy sources. Here, using a combination of ion beam irradiation, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, we show that, contrary to the behaviour observed in pyrochlores, the amorphization resistance of spinel compounds correlates directly with the energy to disorder the structure. Using a combination of atomistic simulation techniques, we ascribe this behaviour to structural defects on the cation sublattice that are present in spinel but not in pyrochlore. Specifically, because of these structural defects, there are kinetic pathways for the relaxation of disorder in spinel that are absent in pyrochlore. This leads to a direct correlation between amorphization resistance and disordering energetics in spinel, the opposite of that observed in pyrochlores. Furthermore, these results provide new insight into the origins of amorphization resistance in complex oxides beyond fluorite derivatives.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-06NA25396
OSTI ID:
1239355
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-15-22255; ncomms9750
Journal Information:
Nature Communications, Vol. 6; ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 64 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (5)

Novel defect-fluorite pyrochlore sodium niobate nanoparticles: solution-phase synthesis and radiation tolerance analysis journal January 2019
Evidence for percolation diffusion of cations and reordering in disordered pyrochlore from accelerated molecular dynamics journal September 2017
Effect of Chemical Bonding Characteristics on Ordering Structure in Li Spinel Oxides journal November 2018
First Principles Simulations on Migration Paths of Oxygen Interstitials in MgAl 2 O 4 journal October 2018
Mg‐Ion Inversion in MgO@MgO−Al 2 O 3 Oxides: The Origin of Basic Sites journal May 2019

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