Deuterium Trapping into Zirconium with the Oxidized Surface Layer Under Irradiation by Deuterium Atoms with Thermal Energies

Regularities of deuterium trapping into zirconium with the oxidized surface layer under irradiation by deuterium atoms with thermal energies were studied. Desorption of deuterium atoms trapped into the sample irradiated by D-atoms in D2 gaseous ambience increased by more than 2 times in comparison with the one exposed to D2 molecules. Addition of gaseous oxygen to the operating gas during atomic irradiation intensified significantly the deuterium accumulation in zirconium due to the increase of energetic yield of the surface processes that lead to trapping. During the cooling of zirconium sample after atomic irradiation in deuterium-oxygen gas mixture the surface states Zr-D(H) were being created. Up to 75% of these states were formed with participation of deuterium atoms from gaseous ambience, the rest of them involved hydrogen isotopes from the subsurface area.