The stability of β-precipitates in the Zr–1Nb alloy has been studied under Ne ion irradiation of energy 250 keV by insitu transmission electron microscope as a function of irradiation dose. The irradiation was carried out up to ∼136 dpa at 573 K. Microstructural investigations have shown that up to ∼38 dpa, precipitates showed an increase in size, and for irradiation doses >38 dpa, the size of the precipitates was noticed to reduce. Post-irradiation energy-dispersive spectrometry of the specimens revealed the Nb concentration throughout the matrix to be ∼0.8–1.5%. Three-dimensional atom probe tomography was also carried out for irradiated specimens to look for the presence of any nanoclusters. However, Nb clustering was not observed in the specimens. It is proposed that the dissolution of the precipitates may be facilitated by an increase in the solubility limit of Nb in Zr caused by irradiation. The solubility limit may increase by the introduction of defects generated by irradiation and by the destabilization of the β-phase. This may result in back-diffusion of Nb atoms to the matrix by radiation-enhanced diffusion to lower the strain produced by the defects, resulting in the dissolution of the precipitates.

中文翻译：

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氖离子辐照影响Zr-1Nb合金中β析出物溶解的研究

通过原位透射电子显微镜研究了在能量为 250 keV 的 Ne 离子辐照下 Zr-1Nb 合金中 β-沉淀物的稳定性与辐照剂量的关系。在 573 K 下进行高达 ~136 dpa 的辐照。微观结构研究表明，在高达 38 dpa 时，沉淀物的尺寸会增加，而对于大于 38 dpa 的辐照剂量，沉淀物的尺寸会减小. 样品的辐照后能量色散光谱显示整个基质中的 Nb 浓度约为 0.8-1.5%。还对辐照样品进行了三维原子探针断层扫描，以寻找任何纳米团簇的存在。然而，在样品中没有观察到 Nb 聚集。有人提出，由于辐照导致 Nb 在 Zr 中溶解度极限的增加可能会促进沉淀物的溶解。溶解度极限可能会因辐照产生的缺陷的引入和 β 相的不稳定而增加。这可能导致 Nb 原子通过辐射增强扩散向基体反向扩散，以降低由缺陷产生的应变，从而导致析出物的溶解。