Helium irradiation behavior of tungsten-niobium alloys under different ion energies

摘要

Tungsten is a primary material in plasma-facing components (PFCs), but several disadvantages limit its application in fusion reactors. This work examined tungsten-niobium (W-Nb) alloys as potential PFC materials and investigated their response to low-energy helium ion irradiation. W-Nb powders were milled for 25 and 36 h, and the W-Nb samples were exposed to 50 and 80 eV helium ion irradiation with a flux of 1.5 x 10(22) ions/m(2) s at 1230 degrees C. The sample with a dense structure and obtained after a 25-h milling exhibited enhanced anti-irradiation performance. Sufficient energy can be provided to promote helium ion migration in the matrix, resulting in the formation of nanotendrils. Furthermore, in W-Nb alloys, the Nb-rich regions are more attractive to helium ions and thus provide protection to the tungsten matrix.