Synergistic effect of helium and hydrogen for defect evolution under multi-ion irradiation of Fe-Cr ferritic alloys

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the synergistic effect of helium and hydrogen on Fe-Cr ferritic model alloys, to provide basic understanding concerning development of fusion reactor components. Single, dual and triple ion-beams consisting of Fe3+, He+ and H+ were used for irradiation, at temperatures 470-600 degreesC and dose to 50 dpa at 1 mum. The dual beam irradiation with He enhanced cavity nucleation extensively to swelling of about 0.4%, whereas the dual beam irradiation with H did not significantly affect the microstructure. In the case of triple ion irradiation, the synergistic effect of He and H was confirmed clearly; relative large void formation and enhanced swelling to almost 5%. The synergistic effect suggests that the role of H is important for void growth and dislocation bias. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.