Using In Situ TEM Helium Implantation and Annealing to Study Cavity Nucleation and Growth

Noble gases are generated within solids in nuclear environments and coalesce to form gas stabilized voids or cavities. Ion implantation has become a prevalent technique for probing how gas accumulation affects microstructural and mechanical properties. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) allows measurement of cavity density, size, and spatial distributions post-implantation. While post-implantation microstructural information is valuable for determining the physical origins of mechanical property degradation in these materials, dynamic microstructural changes can only be determined by in situ experimentation techniques. We present in situ TEM experiments performed on Pd, a model face-centered cubic metal that reveals real-time cavity evolution dynamics. Observations of cavity nucleation and evolution under extreme environments are discussed.