Advances in Irradiation Effects of Materials for Current and Future Reactors
A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Physics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 September 2025 | Viewed by 109
Special Issue Editors
Interests: fracture toughness analysis; fracture mechanics; steel; radiation; nuclear reactors; nuclear power plants; mechanical testing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Irradiation ageing is one of the main degradation mechanisms of the structural and functional materials used in nuclear and fusion devices. The most discussed irradiation degradation is the embrittlement of power reactor steel due to fast neutron radiation. Fast neutrons (over 0.5 or 1 MeV) knock out atoms from the lattice and initiate three degradation mechanisms: increasing the dislocation density, precipitating Cu- or MnNi-based clusters, and segregating alloying and polluting elements at the grain borders. These mechanisms determine the radiation embrittlement of the nuclear pressure vessels. Neutron irradiation can also cause irradiation-assisted stress corrosion. A reduction in the precipitation that initiates elements using advanced steel production technology can highly increase the lifetime of RPV steel.
The present water-cooled fission reactors operate at the temperature range of 260–350 °C. Future gas-cooled and fast reactors will operate at higher temperatures and require new, tough structural materials against the combined effect of creep and neutron irradiation.
Other metallic materials become embrittled by the transmutation caused by thermal neutrons. Aluminium transmuted to silicon, and brittle precipitations occur when operating research reactor structural materials.
The activation of the structural and functional materials causes difficulties during maintenance and waste management of disassembled structures. Since 1990, efforts have been made to develop RAFM (reduced-activity ferrite–martensitic) steel.
The radiation and temperature toughness requirements for future fusion devices strongly exceed the levels of presently operating nuclear equipment. Ferrite–martensitic steel (containing 9–14% Cr) and ODS (oxide dispersion-strengthened) steel, Tungsten, CuCrZr, zirconium alloys, and HEA (high-entropy alloys) have been tested in laboratories to satisfy the design requirements.
This Special Issue aims to cover recent progress and new developments in the irradiation effect and technology of nuclear materials, including but not limited to the following topics: irradiation embrittlement, RPV steel, RAFM steel, the transmutation ageing of structural materials, irradiation-assisted stress corrosion, the operation lifetime of nuclear devices, and advanced structural materials for fusion power plants.
Dr. Ferenc Gillemot
Dr. Murthy Kolluri
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- irradiation
- transmutation
- ageing
- steel corrosion
- fusion power plant
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