Self-assembly of solid nanoclusters in molybdenum under gas ion implantation

C Sun and C Jiang and E Jossou and M Topsakal and SK Gill and LE Ecker and J Gan, SCRIPTA MATERIALIA, 194, 113651 (2021).

DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2020.113651

The self-assembly of defects in materials could create unique physical and chemical properties. In nuclear fuels, the formation of self- assembled fission products mitigates fission-gas-release and swelling. Here we report the formation of a solid nanocluster superlattice in molybdenum, an important constituent in metallic fuels, under krypton gas ion implantation. X-ray absorption near edge structure measurements coupled with density functional theory calculations show that the pressure of krypton nanoclusters in molybdenum is similar to 2 GPa and molecular dynamic simulations reveal that the krypton atoms are solid in the nanoclusters with a krypton-to-vacancy ratio of similar to 0.28 at 300 K. (C) 2020 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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