Abstract:
The use of nitride ceramics, in particular AlN, as structural materials for nuclear power is
primarily limited by their resistance to swelling and hydrogenation processes due to the accumulation
of poorly soluble helium and hydrogen ions in the structure of the surface layer. In this regard,
research in this area is of great importance not only from a fundamental point of view, but also
practical, since any new data on radiation resistance can make a great contribution to the development
of the theory of resistance to radiation influences of structural materials of a new generation. This work
is devoted to a systematic study and comparative analysis of the dynamics of radiation damage
during high-dose irradiation with protons and helium ions in nitride ceramics, which have great
potential for use as structural materials for GenIV reactors. The choice of irradiation doses of
1 × 1017–5 × 1017 ion/cm2
is due to the possibility of modeling the processes of radiation damage
characteristic of displacements of 10–50 dpa. During the study, the dependences of the change in
the dielectric and conductive characteristics of nitride ceramics depending on the radiation dose,
as well as on the type of ions, were established. The kinetics of degradation and accelerated aging was
determined depending on the type of exposure. The mechanical and strength properties of ceramics
were determined.
