Comprehensive Study of the Impact of Iron-Ion Irradiation at 500°C on the Nanostructure of Oxide Dispersion-Strengthened Steels

A comprehensive study of the impact of irradiation on the nanostructure of oxide dispersion-strengthened steels, namely, Eurofer ODS, 10Cr ODS, and KP-3 ODS, using atom-probe tomography and transmission electron microscopy is presented. Samples of these steels were irradiated with Fe2+ ions at 500°C up to a radiation-damage dose of 100 dpa within the microscopic-analysis region. The study revealed that in irradiated Eurofer ODS, the number density of oxide particles remained within the margin of error, whereas in 10Cr ODS and KP-3 ODS, it decreased several fold. Concurrently, the number density of Cr–Y–O clusters decreased in Eurofer ODS, while in 10Cr ODS and KP-3 ODS, the number density of Cr–Y–O–Ti clusters increased. Observed changes in enrichments of the core elements of clusters (Cr, Y, O, Ti), as well as variations in the concentrations of these elements within the matrix between the initial and irradiated states, indicate interactions between the oxide and cluster subsystems during irradiation. These interactions lead to stabilization of the oxide subsystem in Eurofer ODS and the formation of new clusters in other materials through the atomic exchange of cluster constituent elements with the material matrix.