Radiation Damage in Metals and Alloys

Dear Colleagues,

The nuclear community has accumulated decades of experience in operating nuclear fission power plants, and in assessing and modelling relevant radiation-induced degradation phenomena in reactor core materials. However, the available data from surveillance campaigns and test reactors are in many cases not coherent and depend both on alloy microstructures and inhomogeneities and on local environmental conditions. In addition to that, the end-of-life of existing plants and their potential life extension demand metallic materials to operate beyond their safe design margins. In parallel, the advent of Gen III/IV fission reactors with enhanced efficiency and safety and the international roadmap to deploy nuclear fusion technology open new avenues for novel alloy chemistries and manufacturing routes. However, their qualification relies on the reliable prediction of alloy performance under radiation and in synergy with other environmental effects, such as aqueous/non-aqueous coolants, elevated temperatures, thermomechanical stresses or hydrogen/helium levels. It is therefore very timely to focus this Special Issue on critically assessing the current knowledge about radiation damage in nuclear metals and alloys, and to publish new advances in experimental and modelling methodologies and synergies to better predict radiation-induced structural modifications, and their potential impact on the mechanical and corrosion behaviour, fracture mechanics, and dimensional stability of nuclear alloys, systems and components. Potential research contributions to this issue can focus on: (i) the mechanistic understanding of radiation damage at the atomic-to-mesoscale and related modelling approaches; (ii) use of complementary characterisation techniques, such as (scanning) transmission electron microscopy, atom probe tomography, neutron and synchrotron X-ray scattering or positron annihilation spectroscopy; (iii) benchmarking the damage induced by neutron, energetic ion or electron bombardment; (iv) unprecedented damage levels, temperature and flux effects of defect structures; (v) novel alloy development (e.g., high-entropy and nano-structured alloys); (vi) micro/macro-scale testing; and (vii) impact of damage on alloy performance and structural integrity.

Dr. Enrique Jimenez-Melero
Guest Editor

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• Radiation-induced atomic processes and their spatiotemporal evolution
• Advanced characterisation of lattice defect structures and local chemistries
• Radiation sources and international testing facilities
• Integrated computational materials engineering approaches in nuclear alloy development
• Model vs. industrial alloys
• Specimen size effects in mechanical testing of irradiated alloys
• Radiation-induced hardening and embrittlement
• Irradiation growth and creep
• Irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking
• Hydrogen/helium embrittlement