Nanostructured Fe–Cr–W Steel Exhibits Enhanced Resistance to Self‐Ion Irradiation

Herein, a study on radiation‐induced defect structures in a reactor Fe–14Cr–1W (wt%) steel with grain sizes of 5 μm and 110 nm is presented. Self‐ion irradiation of the steel in both states is conducted with a damage dose of 10 dpa. Microstructure characterization shows that the density of intragranular radiation‐induced dislocations is significantly lower in case of the nanostructured material. From the results obtained, it follows that microstructure refinement to a grain size of about 100 nm can be effectively used to approach a problem of higher defect production rate in Fe–Cr steels driven by irradiation and to produce alloys with significantly enhanced mechanical performance as well as radiation tolerance.