Deuterium retention in displacement-damaged tungsten-rhenium alloys: Influence of rhenium concentration and irradiation temperature

• Published in: Nuclear materials and energy 2024-12, Vol.41, p.101730, Article 101730
• Main Authors: Zibrov, M., Cintora, A., Schwarz-Selinger, T., Hunger, K., Mayer, M., Bobyr, N.P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Deuterium retention; Ion irradiation; Radiation defects; Rhenium; Tungsten
• ISSN: 2352-1791; 2352-1791
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nme.2024.101730

Tungsten (W) samples containing 0, 1, 3, and 5 at.% rhenium (Re) were irradiated by 20 MeV W ions to 0.5 dpa at 290 K and to 0.3 dpa at 1350 K. An additional set of samples was irradiated to 0.5 dpa at 290 K and then annealed at 1350 K. The irradiated samples were exposed to a deuterium (D) plasma at 370 K. D concentration profiles in the samples were measured using D(He3,p)α nuclear reaction analysis. The D binding states in the defects were analysed using thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS). In the case of irradiation at 290 K, the trapped D concentration monotonically increases with increasing Re concentration: in W-5%Re it is 17% higher than in pure W. On the contrary, for irradiation at 1350 K the trapped D concentration monotonically decreases with increasing Re concentration: in W-5%Re it is 50 times smaller than in pure W. In the case of annealing at 1350 K of the samples irradiated at 290 K, the Re presence yields only up to three times reduction of trapped D concentration compared with pure W. TDS shows that the nature of D trapping sites is different for the irradiations at 290 K and 1350 K. We attribute the reduced D trapping in W-Re alloys irradiated at 1350 K to the reduction of cavity growth caused by the presence of Re. •W-(0, 1, 3, 5)%Re alloys were irradiated with 20 MeV W ions at 290 K and 1350 K.•At 290 K the presence of Re slightly increases the defect density.•At 1350 K the presence of Re significantly decreases the defect density.•Post-irradiation (290 K) annealing at 1350 K shows smaller Re effect than irradiation at 1350 K.