Irradiation effects of displacement damage and gas atoms in Yttria-stabilized zirconia irradiated by Au and helium ions

Highlights: • The combined effect of sequential ion beam irradiated YSZ is reported. • The displacement damage created by sequential ion beam irradiation is less than that of single He ion irradiation. • The irradiation effects of displacement damage and gas atoms may lead to a reduction of the interstitial helium atoms. Single and sequential ion beam irradiated Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) was carried out to study the irradiation effects of vacancies and helium gas atoms. The results show that the displacement damage value of sequential ion beam irradiation is less than that of single He ion irradiation and larger than that of single Au ion irradiation. The irradiation effects of displacement damage (mainly vacancies) and gas atoms may lead to a strong reduction of the interstitial helium atoms. Sequential ion beam irradiation generates more vacancies-helium bubbles than single helium ion irradiation. The results are important for fundamental understanding of interaction between vacancy and helium bubbles, and it also plays a guiding role in the practical industrial applications in the nuclear reactor.