Microstructure of a 14Cr-ODS ferritic steel before and after helium ion implantation

A 14Cr-ODS ferritic steel with the nominal compositions of Fe–14Cr–2 W–0.3Ti–0.3Y2O3 (wt.%) was produced by mechanical alloying (MA) and hot isostatic pressing (HIP). Helium ion was implanted into the 14Cr-ODS steel along with Eurofer 97 steel as reference at 400 °C to a fluence of 1 × 1017 He+/cm2. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), high angle annual dark field (HAADF) scanning TEM (STEM) and atom probe tomography (APT) were used to characterize the microstructure of 14Cr-ODS and Eurofer 97 steels before and after helium implantation. High-density Y–Ti–O-rich nanoclusters and Y2Ti2O7 precipitates as well as large Cr–Ti rich oxides were observed in the 14Cr-ODS steel. The average size of Y–Ti–O nanoclusters and Y2Ti2O7 precipitates is 9 nm. After helium implantation, the helium bubbles formed in the 14Cr-ODS steel exhibit the smaller size and the lower volume fraction than that in Eurofer 97 steel, indicating high-density nano-scale precipitates can effectively suppress the coarsening of helium bubbles.