Radiation Induced Defects in Nanostructured Polymer-Derived Ceramics
EMSL Project ID
24802
Abstract
The objective of the proposed research is to fundamentally investigate the interaction of radiation induced defects with unique nanostructures of polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs). A multifaceted research plan will focus on defect formation and trapping as a function of structures and compositions of PDCs under various radiation conditions, and formation of a guideline to design and synthesize new materials that can remarkably mitigate radiation damage. The PDCs are a new class of materials synthesized by thermal decomposition of polymeric precursors. Unlike conventional materials, the PDCs are neither crystalline nor glasses. Instead they consist of nanodomains (amorphous SiCN clusters) created by intertwined graphene (aromatic carbon) sheets about 1-5nm in size (Fig. 1). It is demonstrated that the unique PDC structures, which can only be obtained via the precursor route, are thermodynamically stable as compared to the crystalline mixtures (SiC + Si3N4 + graphite) of the same compositions. Consequently, the radiation induced defects will behave dramatically differently in the PDCs compared to conventional materials; and better radiation damage tolerance is expected. In this proposal, we propose to use (i) accelerator to treat the materials and (ii) TEM, NMR and EPR to characterize the treated samples.
Project Details
Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
Start Date
2007-06-01
End Date
2008-06-01
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Related Publications
Wang Y, L An, LV Saraf, CM Wang, V Shutthanandan, DE Mccready, and S Thevuthasan. 2009. "Microstructure and ionic-conductivity of alternating-multilayer structured Gd-doped ceria and zirconia thin films." Journal of Materials Science 44(8):2021-2026.