Radiation tolerance of Mn+1AXn phases, Ti3AlC2 and Ti3SiC2

✍ Scribed by K.R. Whittle; M.G. Blackford; R.D. Aughterson; S. Moricca; G.R. Lumpkin; D.P. Riley; N.J. Zaluzec

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 727 KB
• Volume: 58
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1359-6454
• DOI: 10.1016/j.actamat.2010.04.029

✦ Synopsis

During investigations of novel material types with uses in future nuclear technologies (ITER/DEMO and GenIV fission reactors), ternary carbides with compositions Ti 3 AlC 2 and Ti 3 SiC 2 have been irradiated with high Xe fluences, 6.25 Â 10 15 ions cm À2 ($25-30 dpa), using the IVEM-TANDEM facility at Argonne National Laboratory. Both compositions show high tolerance to damage, and give indications that they are likely to remain crystalline to much higher fluences. There is a visible difference in tolerance between Ti 3 AlC 2 and Ti 3 SiC 2 that can be related to the changes in bonding within each material. These initial findings provide evidence for a novel class of materials (+200 compounds) with high radiation resistance, while, significantly, both of these materials are composed of low-Z elements and hence exhibit no long-term activation.