On the role of electro-migration in the evolution of radiation damage in nanostructured ionic materials

Samin, Adib Jamil; Andersson, Anders David Ragnar; Holby, Edward F.; Uberuaga, Blas P.

doi:10.1016/j.elecom.2018.09.010

Title: On the role of electro-migration in the evolution of radiation damage in nanostructured ionic materials

Journal Article · 25 September 2018 · Electrochemistry Communications

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elecom.2018.09.010 · OSTI ID:1477669

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Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

We report that radiation resistant materials are needed for a large number of applications. One route to enhancing radiation resistance is to introduce a high density of defect sinks such as grain boundaries. However, there are still important questions regarding the role of grain boundaries in enhancing radiation tolerance, particularly in ionic materials. Experiments have found large improvements in the amorphization resistance of oxides at temperatures where defect mobilities are too low to easily reach the boundaries. Standard reaction-diffusion models are inadequate in explaining this behavior. Here, we examine the role of electro-migration in the overall transport of irradiation-induced defects in ionic systems. We find that electro-migration can have a large impact on the steady state point defect concentrations as compared to models that do not include the effect of electro-migration. In particular, defect concentrations can change by nearly seven orders of magnitude for certain conditions. Finally, we conclude that radiation tolerance in nanocrystalline ionic ceramics will be driven both by enhanced sink density via small grain sizes and, critically, the effects of electro-migration induced by charge segregation to grain boundaries.

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Research Organization:: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22). Materials Sciences & Engineering Division; USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)