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Atom Probe Tomography of Structural Materials for Nuclear Reactors


EMSL Project ID
49620

Abstract

To develop an understanding of material performance under neutron irradiation requires detailed knowledge of the evolution of the materials microstructure both before and after irradiation. The damage processes occur at the nanoscale and require characterization techniques that can probe down to the atomic level to capture the chemical changes induced by exposure to the operating environment of nuclear reactors.
Atom probe tomography (APT) provides three-dimensional analysis of materials on the scale of nm, and in some cases atomic plane resolution is achievable. Analysis of composition as well as spatial location of second phases, grain boundary segregation, and nanoclusters is possible using APT, contributing unique insight into microstructural changes under irradiation.

Project Details

Start Date
2016-10-20
End Date
2017-09-30
Status
Closed

Team

Principal Investigator

Danny Edwards
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Team Members

Jing Wang
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Karen Kruska
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Alan Schemer-Kohrn
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory