Effects of solute atoms on evolution of vacancy defects in electron-irradiated Fe–Cr-based alloys

The evolution of vacancy-type defects in Fe–Cr alloys (13–16 at.% Cr) undoped and doped with C, N, Au, or Sb and in conventional ferritic–martensitic steel (∼13% Cr) has been investigated using positron annihilation spectroscopy under electron irradiation at room temperature and subsequent stepwise annealing. Small vacancy clusters are formed in the undoped Fe–16Cr alloy, which anneal out between 320 and 550 K. It is shown that oversized substitutional solute atoms (Sb, Au) in the Fe–Cr alloy interact with vacancies and form complexes, which are stable up to 600 and 420 K, respectively. It is found that the accumulation of vacancy defects considerably increases in the alloys and the steel with an enhanced content of interstitial impurities. It is shown that this effect is related to the formation of vacancy-carbon complexes. It is known that chromium in iron decreases the diffusion mobility of carbon. Therefore, the structure of vacancy-carbon complexes and the kinetics of their annealing in Fe–Cr alloys differ from those in the Fe–C system.