In-situ TEM observation of microstructural evolution in 18Cr-ODS steel induced by electron beam irradiation

The microstructural evolution behaviors of 18Cr-ODS steel under electron beam irradiation were in-situ investigated in a high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Fe3O4 particle was induced by electron beam irradiation through a series of dynamic procedures including lattice relaxation of the steel matrix, Cr and Ni segregations, combination of iron and oxygen atoms, epitaxial growth as well as separation of Fe3O4 grains. The size of oxides increased with increasing electron irradiation fluence, and it reached up to about 6 nm at the fluence of 6.1×1023 e/cm2.