Development of GD-containing austenitic stainless steel

Based on first-principles calculations on the stability of various M-Gd (with M = Fe or Ni) intermetallics, we designed two Gd-containing austenitic stainless-steels as a neutron-absorbing structural material. The Gd-rich precipitates contained in each alloy were identified via scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. (Ni,Fe,Cr)7Gd2 precipitates were observed in the 18Cr-20Ni-1.5Gd wt.% alloy. The melting temperature of the precipitates was ∼1149∘C, which is higher than the reheating temperature commonly used for austenitic stainless-steels, which can be utilised to develop Gd-containing stainless steel with good combination of neutron absorption capacity, hot workability, and ductility.