Thrust 2: Coupled Transport

Background and Approach

Context: The defects produced via irradiation move through the material and, as a consequence, move the atoms in the material. Further, these defects and atoms interact with the microstructure -- grain boundaries and dislocations. This can cause significant changes in the elemental composition of the material that will impact how the material interacts with a corrosive environment. To understand how corrosion is impact by irradiation, we must first understand how the chemical make-up of the material changes with irradiation.

Motivating Scientific Question: How is species transport impacted by non-equilibrium defect populations?

Approach: FUTURE will utilize the cutting edge in strain mapping and four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy to examine materials exposed to a combination of corrosive and irradiation environments. FUTURE will advance the use of isotopes to understand detailed transport mechanisms in materials. Coupled with atom probe tomography, the use of isotopes will allow us to examine how transport differs in different parts of the material, for example at grain boundaries. By examining corrosive behavior before and after irradiation, we will elucidate the means by which irradiation impacts corrosion.

Thrust Leads: Daniel Schreiber and Sandra Taylor of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory