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Title: Grain growth of nanocrystalline 3C-SiC under Au ion irradiation at elevated temperatures

Abstract

Nanocrystalline silicon carbide (SiC) represents an excellent model system for a fundamental study of interfacial (grain boundary) processes under nuclear radiation, which are critical to the understanding of the response of nanostructured materials to high-dose irradiation. This study reports on a comparison of irradiation effects in cubic phase SiC (3C-SiC) grains of a few nanometers in size and single-crystal 3C-SiC films under identical Au ion irradiation to a range of doses at 700 K. In contrast to the latter, in which lattice disorder is accumulated to a saturation level without full amorphization, the average grain size of the former increases with dose following a power-law trend. In addition to coalescence, the grain grows through atomic jumps and mass transport, where irradiation induced vacancies at grain boundaries assist the processes. It is found that a higher irradiation temperature leads to slower grain growth and a faster approach to a saturation size of SiC nanograins. The results could potentially have a positive impact on structural components of advanced nuclear energy systems.

Authors:
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Environmental Molecular Sciences Lab. (EMSL)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1239482
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-110626
Journal ID: ISSN 0022-3727; 49138; 44713; 48707; AT2030110
DOE Contract Number:  
AC05-76RL01830
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Journal of Physics. D, Applied Physics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 49; Journal Issue: 3; Journal ID: ISSN 0022-3727
Publisher:
IOP Publishing
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
Grain growth; nanocrystalline SiC; ion irradiation; Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory

Citation Formats

Zhang, Limin, Jiang, Weilin, Dissanayake, Amila C., Varga, Tamas, Zhang, Jiandong, Zhu, Zihua, Hu, Dehong, Wang, Haiyan, Henager, Charles H., and Wang, Tieshan. Grain growth of nanocrystalline 3C-SiC under Au ion irradiation at elevated temperatures. United States: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.1088/0022-3727/49/3/035304.
Zhang, Limin, Jiang, Weilin, Dissanayake, Amila C., Varga, Tamas, Zhang, Jiandong, Zhu, Zihua, Hu, Dehong, Wang, Haiyan, Henager, Charles H., & Wang, Tieshan. Grain growth of nanocrystalline 3C-SiC under Au ion irradiation at elevated temperatures. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0022-3727/49/3/035304
Zhang, Limin, Jiang, Weilin, Dissanayake, Amila C., Varga, Tamas, Zhang, Jiandong, Zhu, Zihua, Hu, Dehong, Wang, Haiyan, Henager, Charles H., and Wang, Tieshan. 2016. "Grain growth of nanocrystalline 3C-SiC under Au ion irradiation at elevated temperatures". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0022-3727/49/3/035304.
@article{osti_1239482,
title = {Grain growth of nanocrystalline 3C-SiC under Au ion irradiation at elevated temperatures},
author = {Zhang, Limin and Jiang, Weilin and Dissanayake, Amila C. and Varga, Tamas and Zhang, Jiandong and Zhu, Zihua and Hu, Dehong and Wang, Haiyan and Henager, Charles H. and Wang, Tieshan},
abstractNote = {Nanocrystalline silicon carbide (SiC) represents an excellent model system for a fundamental study of interfacial (grain boundary) processes under nuclear radiation, which are critical to the understanding of the response of nanostructured materials to high-dose irradiation. This study reports on a comparison of irradiation effects in cubic phase SiC (3C-SiC) grains of a few nanometers in size and single-crystal 3C-SiC films under identical Au ion irradiation to a range of doses at 700 K. In contrast to the latter, in which lattice disorder is accumulated to a saturation level without full amorphization, the average grain size of the former increases with dose following a power-law trend. In addition to coalescence, the grain grows through atomic jumps and mass transport, where irradiation induced vacancies at grain boundaries assist the processes. It is found that a higher irradiation temperature leads to slower grain growth and a faster approach to a saturation size of SiC nanograins. The results could potentially have a positive impact on structural components of advanced nuclear energy systems.},
doi = {10.1088/0022-3727/49/3/035304},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1239482}, journal = {Journal of Physics. D, Applied Physics},
issn = {0022-3727},
number = 3,
volume = 49,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Jan 09 00:00:00 EST 2016},
month = {Sat Jan 09 00:00:00 EST 2016}
}