SANS investigation of neutron-irradiated Fe-Cr alloys

The effect of neutron irradiation on the formation of defect/solute clusters in binary iron alloys is important for the understanding of the damage mechanisms in structural materials applied in the field of nuclear technology. The irradiation behaviour of four binary Fe-Cr alloys of commercial purity with chromium contents between 2.5 and 12.5at% and neutron exposure of 0.6 and 1.5 dpa at 300 0C has been studied by SANS. The analysis of the experimental results indicates that there are at least two populations of irradiation-induced features. The appearance of α-phase particles was shown for Fe-12.5at%Cr and to a less content in Fe-9at%Cr. We have observed a strong and complex effect of Cr and weak or insignificant effects of neutron exposure.