Early Stage Oxidation of ZrC under 10 MeV Au³⁺ Ion-Irradiation at 800 °C

Abstract

The effects of irradiation on the morphology and microstructure of the oxide formed on the surface of ZrC0.99 ± 0.02 during irradiation with 10 MeV Au3+ ions at 800 °C were investigated. Nanosized oxide islands were observed on unirradiated and irradiated sample areas, indicating that the early stage oxidation of ZrC proceeded via nucleation and growth. Radiation shifted the particle size distribution (PSD) to smaller diameters, increased the circularity of the islands, and reduced the surface coverage of the specimen. Additionally, nanometric cavities were observed in oxide islands for doses above 2.5 dpa. The underlying mechanisms driving these changes were discussed.

Department(s)

Materials Science and Engineering

Second Department

Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science

Comments

This research was supported by Nuclear Regulatory Commission Faculty Development Grant NRC-HQ-84-15-G-0044 and by the Ceramics program of the U.S. National Science Foundation as part of project DMR 1742086.

Keywords and Phrases

Electron microscopy; GIXRD; Ion irradiation; Oxidation; ZrC; ZrO2

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0010-938X

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2020 Elsevier Ltd, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jun 2020

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