TY - JOUR

T1 - Deviating from the pure MAX phase concept: Radiation-tolerant nanostructured dual-phase Cr2AlC

AU - Tunes, Matheus A.

AU - Imtyazuddin, Mohammed

AU - Kainz, Christina

AU - Pogatscher, Stefan

AU - Vishnyakov, Vladimir M.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2021 The Authors, some rights reserved.

PY - 2021/3

Y1 - 2021/3

N2 - A dual-phase Cr 2AlC material was synthesized using magnetron sputtering at a temperature of 648 K. A stoichiometric and nanocrystalline MAX phase matrix was observed along with the presence of spherical-shaped amorphous nano-zones as a secondary phase. The irradiation resistance of the material was assessed using a 300-keV Xe ion beam in situ within a transmission electron microscope up to 40 displacements per atom at 623 K: a condition that extrapolates the harmful environments of future fusion and fission nuclear reactors. At the maximum dose investigated, complete amorphization was not observed. Scanning transmission electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive x-ray revealed an association between swelling due to inert gas bubble nucleation and growth and radiation-induced segregation and clustering. Counterintuitively, the findings suggest that preexisting amorphous nano-zones can be beneficial to Cr 2AlC MAX phase under extreme environments.

AB - A dual-phase Cr 2AlC material was synthesized using magnetron sputtering at a temperature of 648 K. A stoichiometric and nanocrystalline MAX phase matrix was observed along with the presence of spherical-shaped amorphous nano-zones as a secondary phase. The irradiation resistance of the material was assessed using a 300-keV Xe ion beam in situ within a transmission electron microscope up to 40 displacements per atom at 623 K: a condition that extrapolates the harmful environments of future fusion and fission nuclear reactors. At the maximum dose investigated, complete amorphization was not observed. Scanning transmission electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive x-ray revealed an association between swelling due to inert gas bubble nucleation and growth and radiation-induced segregation and clustering. Counterintuitively, the findings suggest that preexisting amorphous nano-zones can be beneficial to Cr 2AlC MAX phase under extreme environments.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85103510314&partnerID=8YFLogxK

M3 - Article

VL - 7

SP - 1

EP - 12

JO - Science Advances

JF - Science Advances

SN - 2375-2548

IS - 13

M1 - eabf6771

ER -