Resolving the structural and chemical evolution in materials exposed to extreme environments at the nano-scale
EMSL Project ID
60217
Abstract
The objective of this proposal is to elucidate atomic- to nanoscale mechanisms driving the evolution of materials in extreme environments relevant to energy applications. In energy generating systems, the reliability and performance of materials in extreme environments is a critical concern for current and advanced energy systems, where high temperatures, stress, corrosion, and irradiation combine to diminish the material’s performance simultaneously and in concert. Understanding and predicting the synergistic effects of these variables on material degradation and evolution is an immense scientific challenge, the solution to which is crucial for the safe and economical operation of current and future energy systems. Laboratory measurements of performance metrics, such as rates of uniform corrosion, stress corrosion crack (SCC) growth rates, or radiation-induced hardening are important, but they oftentimes do not capture local phenomena occurring at the nanoscale that result in these macroscale behaviors. A fundamental understanding of atomic scale phenomena is necessary to extrapolate beyond laboratory measurements to service lifetimes or unexplored materials systems or environments. A hallmark of our current proposal and its predecessors has been the development of novel characterization techniques and methods in high resolution analytical microscopy, such as atom probe tomography (APT) and scanning/transmission electron microscopy (S/TEM). These techniques have been successfully applied to these materials systems through previous EMSL proposals and have established that mechanistic insights into diffusion, oxidation, segregation, precipitation and more can be readily extracted. Our broad interests here extend from model systems for basic research to applied materials for fission and fusion applications. In the current scope we consider three primary areas of research: model oxide and alloy systems for understanding mass transport behavior under controlled environments; structural alloys for fission and fusion applications formed by novel processing routes; and materials used for trapping hydrogen isotopes. We propose that by understanding the structural and chemical alteration of materials at the nanoscale we will resolve fundamental mechanistic processes underpinning the material response to these extreme conditions.
Project Details
Start Date
2021-10-19
End Date
2022-09-30
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Co-Investigator(s)
Team Members