First-principles study on mono-vacancy self diffusion and recovery in tungsten crystal

Highlights: • The migration barrier energy E_m of vacancy indicated that the optimum diffusion paths would exist in the diffusion process. • The Frenkel pair's recovery had a close correlation with the "I–V" distance and within a range of 1.86–2.08 eV. • The self-recovery region has an ellipsoid profile with the semiminor axis of 2.7 Å and the semimajor axis of 5.5 Å. • The probability for the vacancy migration was closely assosiated with the E_m and the working temperature. - Abstract: The point defects behavior becomes one of the most basic issues under the challenge of fusion environment. The recovery mechanisms of Frenkel pair defects and the self-diffusion coefficient of mono-vacancy in bulk bcc tungsten were researched by the first principle calculations. The calculation of migration energy curves for <111> SIAs indicated that the process of the Frenkel pair recovery had a close correlation with the "I–V" distance, and the migration barrier energies E_m was within a limit range of 1.86–2.08 eV. It was found that the self-recovery region had an ellipsoid profile with the semiminor axis of 2.7 Å and the semimajor axis of 5.5 Å. The self-diffusion coefficients of the mono-vacancy were calculated and the results showed that the probability for the vacancy migration was not only associated with the E_m but also the temperature being challenged.