Probing He bubbles in naturally aged and annealed δ-Pu alloys using ultra-small-angle x-ray scattering

The self-irradiation of Pu alloys generates He that is trapped within the metal matrix in the form of He bubbles. The distribution of these He bubbles in δ-phase Pu-Ga alloys exhibits a peak near a radius of 0.7 nm, and this size is remarkably stable as function of time. When annealed, the He bubbles in δ-Pu alloys grow, coarsening the distribution. However, the magnitude of this coarsening is uncertain, as different experimental methods reveal bubbles that differ by at least one order of magnitude. Small-angle x-ray scattering results, which can probe a wide range of bubble sizes, imply only a mild coarsening of the He bubble distribution for an annealing treatment of 425 ∘C for 24 h, and analysis of the He bubble content suggests that He is actually lost from the bubbles with annealing.