Microstructural modification of highly porous resolidified tungsten in heat flux of 46.3 GW/m2 and focused ion beam

Minsuk Seo, A. Leigh Winfrey

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Tungsten is a promising material for the plasma-facing components of nuclear fusion reactors due to its resistance to heat flux and plasma influence. However, a transient heating event known as edge localized modes (ELMs) has the potential to modify the tungsten surface by increasing the heat flux to 1–10GW/m2 and creating a porous resolidified surface. This type of surface damage may then be vulnerable to further ion bombardment, allowing surface ablation to harm fusion operations. As a result, we are motivated to simulate the microstructural ablation of highly porous resolidified tungsten in an ELMs-like heat flux of 46.3GW/m2 and ion bombardment with electrothermal plasma and focused ion beam (FIB). Compared to the sample as received after the FIB treatment, the porosity of the microstructure increases more with pre-heated tungsten. According to inverse fast Fourier transformation (IFFT) microphotography, the defect density at the near-pore area of tungsten in 46.3 GW/m2 (2–5 × 1016/cm2) is about a factor of ten higher than in the as-received matrix (1–2 × 1015/cm2). We discovered that amorphous phase formed preferentially near the pore area, which could be attributed to secondary ion deposition during FIB thinning. We believe the high defect density environment of the tungsten microstructure reveals a vulnerability to ion bombarding ablation. On a miniaturized laboratory scale, our research can demonstrate the last moment of tungsten in extreme fusion environments.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number114206
JournalFusion Engineering and Design
Volume200
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2024

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Civil and Structural Engineering
  • Nuclear Energy and Engineering
  • General Materials Science
  • Mechanical Engineering

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