Abstract

Zirconium diboride was irradiated with 5 MeV Au2 + , 7 MeV Au4+ and 10 MeV Au3+ ions at room temperature and 570 °C to doses from 1 to 8 displacements per atom (dpa). Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) analysis revealed no secondary phase formation. Rietveld analysis of the GIXRD data indicated an accumulation of microstrain at low dpa and room temperature. Dislocations observed in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) cross-sections are likely the main contributor to the microstrain. High dpa and high-temperature samples exhibit lower lattice distortion than lower dpa samples, suggesting the presence of enhanced defect recovery at elevated temperatures and dislocation annihilation at higher doses. Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) analysis showed no conclusive evidence of void growth at either temperature. These findings provide insights into the microstructural response of ZrB2 to heavy ion irradiation, suggesting stability up to 8 dpa in typical reactor operating conditions.

Department(s)

Materials Science and Engineering

Second Department

Chemistry

Third Department

Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science

Publication Status

Full Text Access

Keywords and Phrases

Ion irradiation; Radiation effects; Ultra-high temperature ceramics; Zirconium diboride

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

1873-619X; 0955-2219

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2026 Elsevier, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Mar 2026

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