Ion irradiation offers a promising strategy to emulate the irradiation damage induced by energetic neutrons. However, the characterization of the mechanical properties of ion-irradiated materials is not easy considering the limited irradiation depth and inhomogeneous distribution of irradiation-induced defects. Over the last decades, nano-indentation has been recognized as a valid technique to investigate the localized mechanical responses at micro-scale. Therefore, the combination of ion irradiation and nano-indentation has been extensively developed in recent years to study the mechanical behaviors of nuclear structural materials with irradiation effect. In this review, current developments of experimental observations, numerical simulations and theoretical models are summarized concerning both microstructural evolution and macroscopic deformation. Corresponding analysis and discussion could help obtain a sophisticated comprehension of the fundamental deformation mechanisms resulting in mechanical degradation of ion-irradiated materials, and further assist the development of next-generation nuclear structural materials.

离子辐照提供了一种有前途的策略，可以模拟由高能中子引起的辐照损伤。然而，考虑到有限的辐照深度和辐照引起的缺陷的不均匀分布，很难对离子辐照材料的机械性能进行表征。在过去的几十年中，纳米压痕已被公认为是研究微观尺度上局部机械响应的有效技术。因此，近年来，离子辐照与纳米压痕的结合已经得到了广泛的发展，以研究具有辐照作用的核结构材料的力学行为。在这篇评论中，实验观察的最新发展，总结了有关微观结构演变和宏观变形的数值模拟和理论模型。相应的分析和讨论可以帮助您全面了解导致离子辐照材料机械降解的基本形变机理，并进一步协助开发下一代核结构材料。