@article{e801670bb10a4ee48633c7d80bbb66c0,
title = "Carbon nanotube (CNT) metal composites exhibit greatly reduced radiation damage",
abstract = "Radiation damage of structural materials leads to mechanical property degradation, eventually inducing failure. Secondary-phase dispersoids or other defect sinks are often added to materials to boost their radiation resistance. We demonstrate that a metal composite made by adding 1D carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to aluminum (Al) exhibits superior radiation resistance. In situ ion irradiation with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomistic simulations together reveal the mechanisms of rapid defect migration to CNTs, facilitating defect recombination and enhancing radiation tolerance. The origin of this effect is an evolving stress gradient in the Al matrix resulting from CNT transformation under irradiation, and the stability of resulting carbides. Extreme value statistics of large defect behavior in our simulations highlight the role of CNTs in reducing accumulated damage. This approach to controlling defect migration represents a promising opportunity to enhance the radiation resistance of nuclear materials without detrimental effects.",
author = "Penghui Cao and So, {Kang Pyo} and Yang Yang and Park, {Jong Gil} and Mingda Li and Long Yan and Jing Hu and Mark Kirk and Meimei Li and Lee, {Young Hee} and Short, {Michael P.} and Ju Li",
note = "Funding Information: We acknowledge support from the US DOE Office of Nuclear Energy's NEUP Program under Grant No. DE-NE0008827, and from the US DOE Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) for facility access via RPA-18-14783. The computational simulations made use of the resources of the High Performance Computing Center at Idaho National Laboratory, which is supported by the Office of Nuclear Energy of the U.S. DOE and the Nuclear Science User Facilities under Contract No. DE-AC07-05ID14517. Funding Information: We acknowledge support from the US DOE Office of Nuclear Energy{\textquoteright}s NEUP Program under Grant No. DE-NE0008827, and from the US DOE Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) for facility access via RPA-18-14783. The computational simulations made use of the resources of the High Performance Computing Center at Idaho National Laboratory, which is supported by the Office of Nuclear Energy of the U.S. DOE and the Nuclear Science User Facilities under Contract No. DE-AC07-05ID14517. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 Acta Materialia Inc.",
year = "2021",
month = jan,
day = "15",
doi = "10.1016/j.actamat.2020.116483",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "203",
journal = "Acta Materialia",
issn = "1359-6454",
publisher = "Elsevier Limited",
}