Phase Transitions in Crystalline Materials under Extreme Environments

Dear Colleagues,

The microstructure of crystalline materials evolves under extreme environments, such as the radiation of high-energy particles (electrons, neutrons or ions) and severe plastic deformation (SPD, e.g., high-pressure torsion, asymmetric rolling and mechanical alloying). The radiation of neutrons and ions strongly involves matters relating to nuclear reactors. Electron-beam irradiation is related to damage to specimens for transmission electron microscopy (TEM), such as knock-on damage, sputtering, and radiolysis, exhibiting artefacts in TEM. As a beneficial application of this phenomenon, attempts have been made to use the electron beam for the sintering of nanocrystalline materials. SPD has been extensively studied and applied to metalworking processes because of its versatility. Both the radiation of high-energy particles and SPD have in common that they produce excess vacancies, which induce and accelerate the microstructural evolution in crystalline materials. However, the mechanisms behind this evolution have remained unclear. It has recently been revealed that these processes induce phase transitions in bulk phases as well as interfaces such as grain boundaries and surfaces. Regrettably, the physics behind these phenomena needs to be further explored. This challenging situation motivates a Special Issue dedicated to the general understanding of the correlation between extreme environments and the phase transitions occurring in crystalline materials subjected to such environments.

In this Special Issue, we invite original research articles and review papers on topics including but not limited to the following:

• Electron-beam sintering for nanocrystalline materials;
• Electron-beam damage at transmission electron microscopes (TEMs);
• Microstructural evolution in crystalline materials under irradiation of electrons, neutrons, and ions;
• Microstructural evolution in crystalline materials under severe plastic deformation (SPD);
• Microstructural evolution in nuclear materials under irradiation of neutrons and ions;
• Phase transition in bulk phases and interfaces induced by irradiation of electrons, neutrons, and ions;
• Phase transition in bulk phases and interfaces induced by severe plastic deformation (SPD).

Prof. Dr. Sung Bo Lee
Prof. Dr. In-Sung Park
Guest Editors

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• irradiation of electrons, neutrons and ions
• severe plastic deformation
• electron-beam damage at transmission electron microscopes
• microstructural evolution
• bulk phase
• interface: grain boundary
• surface
• phase transition