Effects of solute elements on microstructural evolution in Fe-based alloys during neutron irradiation following thermal ageing

Neutron irradiation following thermal ageing experiments were performed using Fe-Cu, Fe-Cu-Ni, Fe-Cu-Ni-Mn, and Fe-Cu-Si alloys to investigate the effects of Ni, Mn, and Si on the formation of Cu-rich clusters and their chemical composition. Atom probe tomography showed that Ni and Mn increased the number density of Cu-rich clusters. This can be caused by that Ni and Mn reduce the formation energy of Cu nuclei, thus enhancing the Cu nucleation rate. Mn may also enhance the heterogeneous nucleation of Cu because of its strong interaction with self-interstitial atoms. In addition, Mn can accelerate solute diffusion during thermal ageing. A high Ni alloying content enhanced the Mn concentration in the clusters as well as the Ni concentration, which is believed to be caused by the thermodynamic relationship between Ni and Mn. In Fe-Cu-Si alloys, the Si concentration in the clusters was very low and was comparable to the Si alloying content. This indicates that Si atoms hardly cluster with Cu.