Effect of annealing on Cu precipitates in H ion irradiated Fe-0.6%Cu studied by positron annihilation

Irradiation can lead to the formation of the Cu-vacancy complexes, and the aggregation of the Cu-vacancy complexes would form the vacancy clusters surrounded by ultrafine Cu precipitates (≤2 nm). The decrease of ΔS means the recovery of vacancy-like defects (Figure a). The obvious increase of the ΔW parameters indicates that the Cu precipitate phenomenon has enhanced (Figure b). Combine the defect complete recovery with the Cu precipitate aggregation, Cu precipitates free from vacancies formed and coarsened at 500 °C.371