Detection of one-dimensional migration of single self-interstitial atoms in tungsten using high-voltage electron microscopy

Quantum de-trapping and transport of heavy defects in tungsten

The diffusion of defects in crystalline materials¹ controls macroscopic behaviour of a wide range of processes, including alloying, precipitation, phase transformation and creep². In real materials, intrinsic defects are unavoidably bound to static trapping centres such as impurity atoms, meaning that their diffusion is dominated by de-trapping processes. It is generally believed that de-trapping occurs only by thermal activation. Here, we report the direct observation of the quantum de-trapping of defects below around one-third of the Debye temperature. We successfully monitored the de-trapping and migration of self-interstitial atom clusters, strongly trapped by impurity atoms in tungsten, by triggering de-trapping out of equilibrium at cryogenic temperatures, using high-energy electron irradiation and in situ transmission electron microscopy. The quantum-assisted de-trapping leads to low-temperature diffusion rates orders of magnitude higher than a naive classical estimate suggests. Our analysis shows that this phenomenon is generic to any crystalline material.

Engineering self-organising helium bubble lattices in tungsten

The self-organisation of void and gas bubbles in solids into superlattices is an intriguing nanoscale phenomenon. Despite the discovery of these lattices 45 years ago, the atomistics behind the ordering mechanisms responsible for the formation of these nanostructures are yet to be fully elucidated. Here we report on the direct observation via transmission electron microscopy of the formation of bubble lattices under He ion bombardment. By careful control of the irradiation conditions, it has been possible to engineer the bubble size and spacing of the superlattice leading to important conclusions about the significance of vacancy supply in determining the physical characteristics of the system. Furthermore, no bubble lattice alignment was observed in the <111> directions pointing to a key driving mechanism for the formation of these ordered nanostructures being the two-dimensional diffusion of self-interstitial atoms.

Suppression of radiation-induced point defects by rhenium and osmium interstitials in tungsten

Modeling the evolution of radiation-induced defects is important for finding radiation-resistant materials, which would be greatly appreciated in nuclear applications. We apply the density functional theory combined with comprehensive analyses of massive experimental database to indicate a mechanism to mitigate the effect of radiation on W crystals by adding particular solute elements that change the migration property of interstitials. The resultant mechanism is applicable to any body-centered-cubic (BCC) metals whose self-interstitial atoms become a stable crowdion and is expected to provide a general guideline for computational design of radiation-resistant alloys in the field of nuclear applications.