Molecular dynamics simulation of radiation damage in glasses

Molecular dynamics simulations of the ballistic effects arising from displacement cascades in glasses have been investigated in silica and in a SiO2–B2O3–Na2O glass. In both glasses the T-O-T′ angle (where T and T′ are network formers) diminishes, despite radiation causes opposite effects: while the ternary glass swells and silica becomes denser. We show that radiation-induced modifications of macroscopic glass properties result from structural change at medium/range, reflecting an increasing disorder and internal energy of the system. A local thermal quenching model is proposed to account for the effects of ballistic collisions. The core of a displacement cascade is heated by the passage of the projectile, then rapidly quenched, leading to a process that mimics a local thermal quenching. The observed changes in both the mechanical and structural properties of glasses eventually reach saturation at 2 1018 α/g as the accumulated energy increases. The passage of a single projectile is sufficient to reach the maximum degree of damage, confirming the hypothesis postulated in the swelling model proposed by J.A.C. Marples.

Research highlights
► Simulation of radiation effects in pure silica and a SiO2–B2O3–Na2O glass.
► Correlation between the macroscopic and structural modifications.
► Validation of the Marple's model to explain the swelling.
► Analogies and differences between the behaviors of SiO2 and SiO2–B2O3–Na2O.