Solute rich cluster formation and Cr precipitation in irradiated Fe-Cr-(Ni,Si,P) alloys: Ion versus neutron irradiation

Ion irradiation is a powerful and affordable tool to rapidly test a wide range of irradiation conditions and make the link with the corresponding microstructural evolution. However, several issues of transferability of results from ion to neutron irradiation have been evidenced. This paper presents an atom probe investigation of the microstructural evolution of FeCr-NiSiP alloys with different contents of Cr and minor solutes under both ion and neutron irradiation at 300°C. Minor solutes and Cr are known to form solute rich clusters (SRCs) and α' clusters in ferritic and martensitic FeCr alloys, which are one of the causes of hardening. The objective of this work is to highlight the differences and the commonalities between ion and neutron irradiations in these alloys. The use of two ion beam energies (8 MeV and 5 MeV) revealed that this parameter has an impact on the formation of SRCs. The SRCs present similar characteristics after 8 MeV Fe ion irradiation and neutron irradiation, despite the different dose rate, when Ni, Si and P are present. It is not the case for 5 MeV Fe ions, for which the SRCs were less developed. Influence of the concentration of minor elements has been evidenced, as well. The presence of Ni, Si and P has been shown to impact both the number density and the size of SRCs in Fe9Cr-NiSiP alloys and the onset of α' formation.