Elastic Strain Relaxation of Phase Boundary of α′ Nanoscale Phase Mediated via the Point Defects Loop under Normal Strain

Irradiation-induced point defects and applied stress affect the concentration distribution and morphology evolution of the nanophase in Fe–Cr based alloys; the aggregation of point defects and the nanoscale precipitates can intensify the hardness and embrittlement of the alloy. The influence of normal strain on the coevolution of point defects and the Cr-enriched α′ nanophase are studied in Fe-35 at.% Cr alloy by utilizing the multi-phase-field simulation. The clustering of point defects and the splitting of nanoscale particles are clearly presented under normal strain. The defects loop formed at the α/α′ phase interface relaxes the coherent strain between the α/α′ phases, reducing the elongation of the Cr-enriched α′ phase under the normal strains. Furthermore, the point defects enhance the concentration clustering of the α′ phase, and this is more obvious under the compressive strain at high temperature. The larger normal strain can induce the splitting of an α′ nanoparticle with the nonequilibrium concentration in the early precipitation stage. The clustering and migration of point defects provide the diffusion channels of Cr atoms to accelerate the phase separation. The interaction of point defect with the solution atom clusters under normal strain provides an atomic scale view on the microstructure evolution under external stress.