Radiation-induced segregation in neutron-irradiated V-Fe alloys studied by Moessbauer spectroscopy

A series of recent investigations was concerned with the study of the microstructural changes occurring under neutron irradiation of V-5 at.% Fe alloy. Several possible mechanisms of high swelling rate of this alloy, involving segregation effects, have been discussed. The present study aims at quantitative examination of the compositional changes in the irradiated vanadium matrix with different Fe content using Moessbauer spectroscopy on the 57Fe nucleus. This technique has been used because of the possibility to obtain information about the short-range atomic environment of Fe atoms with the discernment of a number of their specific surroundings. For this reason small changes in the local distribution of solute atoms manifest themselves markedly in the Moessbauer spectra parameters. The Moessbauer effect measurements were performed at room temperature in transmission geometry with a resonant scintillation detector