Nuclear Materials and Energy最新文献

{"title":"Preparing LIBS for in-situ measurements in JET tokamak: system overview and co-deposited layer thicknesses","authors":"Jasper Ristkok ,&nbsp;Salvatore Almaviva ,&nbsp;Jari Likonen ,&nbsp;Juuso Karhunen ,&nbsp;Indrek Jõgi ,&nbsp;Peeter Paris ,&nbsp;Shweta Soni ,&nbsp;Pavel Veis ,&nbsp;Sahithya Atikukke ,&nbsp;Jelena Butikova ,&nbsp;Rongxing Yi ,&nbsp;Ionut Jepu ,&nbsp;Pawel Gasior ,&nbsp;Corneliu Porosnicu ,&nbsp;Mihaela Bojan ,&nbsp;Bianca Solomonea ,&nbsp;Sebastijan Brezinsek","doi":"10.1016/j.nme.2025.101968","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nme.2025.101968","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a method for elemental composition analysis that has been proposed for fusion reactor safety diagnostics. A significant milestone in this development was the LIBS campaign conducted in 2024 at the Joint European Torus (JET), using a prototype LIBS enclosure, deployed with the MASCOT tele-manipulation arm. The work presented here prepared for the JET campaign by testing the LIBS enclosure.</div><div>Experiments were conducted at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, analyzing JET wall samples from the 2011–2016 ILW1–3 fusion campaigns, primarily from the divertor. The focus was on the analysis of co-deposited layers on the plasma-facing components containing hydrogen isotopes and elements from bulk layers: Be, W, Mo, CFC, and Inconel. Measurements were performed under atmospheric pressure air with an argon flow.</div><div>Optimal experimental conditions for the use of an Echelle spectrometer in subsequent JET LIBS campaign were identified, and the depth profiles of the surface layers are presented. The LIBS depth profiles defined distinct material layers. Ablating through the co-deposited layers required 1–870 laser shots (∼0.1–90 µm) on samples from different locations, with typical variations of 10–40 % on the same sample and the largest variation spanning 15–480 shots (∼1.5–50 µm).</div><div>The LIBS, Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), and optical profilometry results showed good qualitative agreement. The ablation rate was ∼30–50 nm/shot for the W layers, ∼100–140 nm/shot for bulk Be limiters, and intermediate for the co-deposited layers. The insights gained in this study supported the preparation of the JET LIBS campaign.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56004,"journal":{"name":"Nuclear Materials and Energy","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 101968"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145048916","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The influence of variation in the ratio of components in two-phase lithium-containing ceramics on defect formation processes","authors":"Dmitriy.I. Shlimas ,&nbsp;Malik Kaliyekperov ,&nbsp;Ainash Zhumazhanova ,&nbsp;Artem L. Kozlovskiy ,&nbsp;Bakytzhan Zh. Burkhanov ,&nbsp;Gulnaz Zh. Moldabayeva ,&nbsp;Maxim V. Zdorovets","doi":"10.1016/j.nme.2025.101980","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nme.2025.101980","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The aim of this study is to determine the effect of changing the ratio of components in the composition of two-component xLi₂TiO₃ − (1-x)Li₂ZrO₃ ceramics on structural distortions and degradation of strength and thermal parameters under high-dose neutron irradiation. The assessment of structural changes was carried out using the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) method, which is one of the most accurate methods that allows for a quantitative and qualitative assessment of structural changes caused by irradiation, as well as determining the concentrations of various types of defects depending on the irradiation fluence. It was found that in the case of two-component lithium-containing ceramics, the resistance to accumulation of radiolysis products is due to the effects of the presence of interphase boundaries that inhibit the formation of radiolysis products. According to the qualitative assessment of the EPR spectra, it was established that in the case of two-component ceramics, the formation of HC₂ – centers occurs at higher irradiation fluences (above 5 × 10²⁰ neutron/cm²), while for one-component ceramics, the formation of radiolysis products is observed at irradiation fluences above 10¹⁹ neutron/cm². In this case, a comparative analysis of the concentrations of defects formed in the damaged layer and their evolution indicates an increase in resistance to defect formation processes due to a change in the ratio of components in the composition of two-component ceramics. The improved stability of two-component ceramics against disordering and defect accumulation is attributed to grain boundaries, which act as barriers to oxygen vacancy migration and defect clustering.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56004,"journal":{"name":"Nuclear Materials and Energy","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 101980"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144908450","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Helium effect on temperature-displacement rate equivalence in radiation-induced swelling of iron: A study by improved stochastic cluster dynamics","authors":"Yi Hu ,&nbsp;Fangqing Qian ,&nbsp;Xiaolin Li ,&nbsp;He Tong ,&nbsp;Yange Zhang ,&nbsp;Yichun Xu ,&nbsp;Zhuoming Xie ,&nbsp;Rui Liu ,&nbsp;Xiang-Yan Li ,&nbsp;Xuebang Wu ,&nbsp;Xianping Wang ,&nbsp;C.S. Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.nme.2025.101977","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nme.2025.101977","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In nuclear energy systems, understanding material behavior (e.g., swelling) under irradiation is critical for ensuring long-term stability and safety. While direct neutron irradiation experiments pose significant challenges, ion irradiation serves as an alternative accelerating method for simulating neutron-induced damage. However, fundamental differences exist between neutron and ion irradiation in terms of substantial helium (He) induced by transmutation and significantly lower displacement rate in neutron irradiation than that of ion irradiation experiments. The equivalence between the two irradiation approaches in swelling, as well as the role of He, thus remains poorly understood. This study presents an optimized stochastic cluster dynamics (SCD) framework that combines dynamic rate table updating with a dual-regime strategy of pre-storing properties of small defect clusters while computing large clusters in real time, thereby resolving the persistent memory efficiency trade-off in conventional SCD approaches and meanwhile improving simulation efficiency for high-dose irradiation damage evolution (up to 10 dpa). By using the enhanced methodology, we systematically investigated the effects of temperature, displacement rate, He and vacancy migration energy barrier (<span><math><msubsup><mi>E</mi><mrow><mi>V</mi></mrow><mi>m</mi></msubsup></math></span>) on swelling behavior. The results reveal that these factors significantly influence swelling. Specifically, the swelling of pure iron initially increases and then decreases with rising temperature, with the peak swelling temperature positively correlated with the logarithm of the displacement rate. High displacement rates considerably widen the temperature range for swelling. Increasing the cluster resolution size (i.e., accounting for larger vacancy clusters in swelling calculations) shifts the peak swelling temperature to higher values, whereas higher irradiation doses reduce it. He-induced synergistic damage promotes the formation of large vacancy clusters, expanding the temperature range for swelling and meanwhile resulting in a higher swelling compared to pure displacement damage. Additionally, an increase in <span><math><msubsup><mi>E</mi><mrow><mi>V</mi></mrow><mi>m</mi></msubsup></math></span> (the migration energy of vacancies enhanced by helium and solute effects) leads to a higher peak swelling temperature and a reduced swelling. This study also explores the temperature shifts required to achieve equivalent irradiation damage at different displacement rates, providing insights into temperature selection criteria for ion irradiation equivalence in simulating neutron irradiation. The findings elucidate the mechanisms underlying swelling and establish a foundation for temperature control in neutron and ion irradiation equivalence.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56004,"journal":{"name":"Nuclear Materials and Energy","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 101977"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144893485","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Preliminary numerical study on thermal impact of runaway electrons to limiter PFU in fusion reactor","authors":"Siyao Wang ,&nbsp;Xinyuan Qian ,&nbsp;Xuebing Peng","doi":"10.1016/j.nme.2025.101979","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nme.2025.101979","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Runaway electrons (RE) generated during unmitigated Major Disruptions (MDs) pose a significant threat to Plasma-Facing Components (PFCs) in fusion reactor. The highly energetic RE retain a large fraction of the plasma’s magnetic energy, and can penetrate the First Wall (FW), potentially damaging internal structures, even causing coolant leakage accidents. Understanding the interaction and damage mechanism between RE and FW will help design FW to resist RE impact. In this study, numerical simulations are conducted to investigate the thermal impact of RE on the FW of limiter based on thickened Monoblock structure under fusion reactor conditions, with particular focus on component damage in the RE beam peak region and the factors affecting the RE beam energy deposition. The results indicate that current plasma-facing units (PFUs) of limiter is highly susceptible to damage under the impact of runaway electron beam in fusion reactors. Nevertheless, by controlling the angle between the FW and the magnetic field lines and reducing the energy of the RE beam, the extent of damage to the limiter can be effectively controlled.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56004,"journal":{"name":"Nuclear Materials and Energy","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 101979"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144902501","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Simultaneous characterization of O, C, 6Li, and medium-weight impurities concentration in PbLi by ion beam analysis","authors":"G. de la Cuerda-Velázquez ,&nbsp;G. García ,&nbsp;N. Maldonado ,&nbsp;E. Carella ,&nbsp;R. Gonzalez-Arrabal","doi":"10.1016/j.nme.2025.101978","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nme.2025.101978","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Some Breeding Blanket concepts in nuclear fusion reactors contemplate the use of eutectic Pb_84.3 Li_15.7 (PbLi) because it simultaneously acts as Tritium (T) breeder (part of the reactor fuel) and neutron multiplier. For a proper reactor operation and control, the exact knowledge of PbLi composition, including impurities and ⁶Li isotope concentration is required, since it notably influences its properties (corrosion action, T production capabilities and T solubility, among others).</div><div>Here, we show the capabilities of ion beam analysis (IBA) techniques to accurately determine both of these issues. To do that, we combine nuclear reaction analysis (NRA) and particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) to quantitatively characterize the C and O concentrations, the isotopic concentration of ⁶Li, and the medium weight impurities concentration for commercial PbLi samples after exposure to environmental conditions for different times (0.5–15000 h).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56004,"journal":{"name":"Nuclear Materials and Energy","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 101978"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144888638","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of initial damage distribution and sinks in fusion materials: A parametric OKMC study of W vs Fe","authors":"Jintong Wu ,&nbsp;Juan-Pablo Balbuena ,&nbsp;Ville Jantunen ,&nbsp;Maria J. Caturla ,&nbsp;Fredric Granberg","doi":"10.1016/j.nme.2025.101975","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nme.2025.101975","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Irradiation present in nuclear test reactors and power plants is known to alter the properties of structural materials. Using long-timescale Object Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations, we systematically investigated the influence of different parameters and temperature on the microstructural evolution of tungsten and iron under irradiation. Our results indicate that in tungsten, the inclusion of spherical absorbers is essential for achieving realistic vacancy saturation levels by limiting the recombination between highly mobile interstitials and vacancies. At elevated temperatures, using cascade-shaped insertion enhances local vacancy clustering, leading to a larger number of smaller vacancy clusters compared to random insertion. In contrast, for iron, the absence of spherical absorbers facilitates the growth of immobile C15 clusters and subsequent formation of <span><math><mrow><mo>〈</mo><mn>1</mn><mspace></mspace><mn>0</mn><mspace></mspace><mn>0</mn><mo>〉</mo></mrow></math></span> loops, markedly altering the defect distribution even at room temperature. Additionally, while the dose rate effect is negligible at room temperature in tungsten due to the immobile vacancies and the very fast migration of interstitials, longer relaxation times between cascades at higher temperatures promote the development of larger vacancy clusters. These insights are crucial for realistic parameterization of Kinetic Monte Carlo models and contribute to a deeper understanding of the irradiation effects in materials used in nuclear applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56004,"journal":{"name":"Nuclear Materials and Energy","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 101975"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144865769","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Design of a two-stage cryopump with hydrogen-helium separation capability for fusion reactor application","authors":"Kexin Lin ,&nbsp;Zhaoxi Chen ,&nbsp;Qingxi Yang ,&nbsp;Cheng Chen ,&nbsp;Changhao Wen ,&nbsp;Yujun Dong ,&nbsp;Jun Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.nme.2025.101976","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nme.2025.101976","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>During the regeneration process of the torus cryopumps in CFETR, separating the majority of unburned fuel from desorbed gas mixture can increase fuel recycling efficiency. Given this situation, this paper proposes a two-stage cryopump concept with hydrogen–helium separation capability, based on the differences in cryosorption and cryocondensation capabilities between metal cryopanels with and without activated charcoal coating treatments for hydrogen, helium, and other gases. Subsequently, finite element simulations were conducted to analyse parameters of the designed cryopump, including thermal load, cryopanel temperature, and pumping speed. The simulation results demonstrated that the radiative thermal load on the cryopanels was relatively uniform, confirming the effectiveness of the thermal shield design. Under liquid helium(LHe) cooling conditions, the average temperature of the cryopanels remained stable below 5 K, indicating excellent cooling performance. In the molecular flow regime, the two-stage cryopump achieved a maximum pumping speed of 35 m³/s with a hydrogen–helium separation efficiency of approximately 99 %, thereby validating the feasibility of the proposed concept and design. Based on the design and analysis, a prototype of the two-stage cryopump was developed, and a testing platform was established to evaluate its pumping performance. Test results revealed that the two-stage cryopump achieved a pumping speed of approximately 100 m³/s, which closely meets the expected pumping speed requirements for cryopumps in the divertor region of fusion reactors. The proposal and engineering implementation of the two-stage cryopump concept present an approach to the hydrogen–helium separation and rapid fuel cycling in future fusion reactor.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56004,"journal":{"name":"Nuclear Materials and Energy","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 101976"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144865812","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Annealing of He-related defects and their influence on deuterium retention in displacement-damaged EUROFER97","authors":"A. Theodorou ,&nbsp;M. Zibrov ,&nbsp;B. Wieluńska-Kuś ,&nbsp;K. Schmid ,&nbsp;T. Schwarz-Selinger","doi":"10.1016/j.nme.2025.101970","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nme.2025.101970","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This work investigates the thermal evolution of He-related defects and their impact on deuterium (D) retention in EUROFER97. Samples were irradiated at 290 K with 20 MeV tungsten (W) ions to a primary peak damage dose of 0.6 dpa followed by 0.5 MeV He ions to a peak concentration of 0.6 at.% to mimic the aspects of fusion neutron damage. These samples were then exposed to a low-temperature D plasma to fill the radiation-induced defects with D. Nuclear reaction analysis with <span><math><msup><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>3</mn></mrow></msup></math></span>He (<span><math><msup><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>3</mn></mrow></msup></math></span>He-NRA) was applied to determine the depth profiles of the retained D. Thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) was employed to investigate D desorption. The experimental cycle of D-loading/NRA/TDS was systematically repeated, and the maximum TDS temperature was increased by 50 K in each step (from 420 K up to 720 K). This allowed studying the thermal evolution of the D trapping sites. Although the density of He-related traps decreases monotonically with increasing temperature, they are not completely recovered even after annealing at 720 K. It was concluded that the presence of He bubbles, which were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), significantly increases the local D concentration. The simulation of TDS spectra utilizing a macroscopic rate equation code (TESSIM-X) reveals a D detrapping energy from He-related defects of 1.00 eV.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56004,"journal":{"name":"Nuclear Materials and Energy","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 101970"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144780867","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of welding speed on the microstructure and corrosion resistance of laser deep penetration welded joints of nuclear-grade 316H stainless steel","authors":"Cui Jing ,&nbsp;Wang Annan ,&nbsp;Mei Xiangchen ,&nbsp;Li Dongjie ,&nbsp;Yang Guangfeng","doi":"10.1016/j.nme.2025.101974","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nme.2025.101974","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A single-pass laser self-melting welding of nuclear-grade 316H stainless steel plate welding experiments, the study of different welding speed under the molten pool morphology and weld corrosion resistance of the changing law. The results show that with the increase of welding speed, the δ ferrite content in the weld gradually decreases, and the corrosion resistance of the weld shows a trend of increasing and then decreasing. When the welding parameters are laser power 9 kW, welding speed 1.6 m/min, and out-of-focus amount −5 mm, the weld corrosion resistance is the best.SEM observation shows that the increase of welding speed promotes the transformation of weld organization from columnar crystals to fine and uniform equiaxial crystals, and the formation of equiaxial crystals significantly improves the corrosion resistance of the weld.EDS analysis shows that the elements of Cr and Mo diffuse at high temperatures, enrich in grain boundaries, and promote ferrite and ferrite. at grain boundaries, promoting ferrite nucleation and growth, and forming coarse ferrite regions at lower welding speeds, while at higher welding speeds, rapid cooling limits element diffusion and ferrite generation, and the microstructure prefers the formation of fine equiaxed crystals.XRD analysis shows that high heat input and high temperature residence time at low welding speeds lead to the precipitation of carbon as metal carbides from the FCC lattice, and at the same time, the accumulation of carbides at grain boundaries further affects the microstructure of the weld. Carbides further affect the microstructure and corrosion resistance of the weld.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56004,"journal":{"name":"Nuclear Materials and Energy","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 101974"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144739716","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhanced vacancy-interstitial annihilation via sliding, rotation and emission of the interstitial in tungsten","authors":"Yi Hu ,&nbsp;Xiaolin Li ,&nbsp;Fangqing Qian ,&nbsp;He Tong ,&nbsp;Changjie Ding ,&nbsp;Shifeng Chen ,&nbsp;Yange Zhang ,&nbsp;Yichun Xu ,&nbsp;Xiang-Yan Li ,&nbsp;Xuebang Wu ,&nbsp;C.S. Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.nme.2025.101973","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nme.2025.101973","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Experimental studies have demonstrated that introducing alloying elements into bulk tungsten effectively mitigates radiation-induced swelling. This improvement is attributed to enhanced annihilation between vacancies and self-interstitial atoms (SIAs) facilitated by alloying elements. However, the precise atomic-scale mechanisms governing this process remain unclear. In this work, we investigated the dynamic annihilation mechanisms of vacancies with both free and alloying-elements-pinned SIA clusters through combined molecular statics and dynamics simulations. Motivated by the high-energy intermediate state of a SIA cluster motion, we analysed the relevant atomic trajectories and energy landscapes, and identified three key processes driving SIA-mediated vacancy annihilation: sliding, rotation and emission of the interstitial. These processes collectively extend the effective annihilation region of SIAs beyond the limited spatial range predicted by static lattice stability calculations. Crucially, the dynamic coupling between vacancy hopping and these SIA behaviours further amplifies the annihilation volume, offering a mechanistic basis for the large annihilation radii hypothesized in rate theory. This work provides atomic-level insights into vacancy annihilation dynamics and reveals that the radiation-induced SIA clusters, when stabilized by alloying elements, act as efficient vacancy scavengers. These findings establish a framework for optimizing radiation-resistant materials through synergistic strategies of alloy design and grain refinement.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56004,"journal":{"name":"Nuclear Materials and Energy","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 101973"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144714572","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}