On the role of Ni, Si and P on the nanostructural evolution of FeCr alloys under irradiation – link with hardening

High-chromium ferritic-martensitic (F-M) steels are promising candidates for structural components in Gen-IV reactors because of their excellent swelling resistance and good thermal properties. However, the operating window of these steels is constrained by irradiation hardening at low temperature (<350°C). This issues has been addressed within the FP7/MatISSE project.
After neutron irradiation of Fe-Cr alloys of low purity (model alloys of F-M steels), impurities as P, Ni and Si have been shown to create solute clusters which significantly contribute to hardening and might be associated with small invisible dislocation loops1. In order to understand the role of each impurity on the formation of the nano-features formed under irradiation and the eventual synergies between the different species, FeCr(SiNiP) alloys of different composition has been ion irradiated and characterized using transmission electron microscopy, atom probe tomography, positron annihilation and nano-indentation. Combination of these techniques enabled to study the influence of these impurities on the concentration of vacancy defects, formation of solute clusters and dislocation loops and to make the link with irradiation hardening.