https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-023-04812-6
Regular Article
Primary irradiation damage in Ni–graphene nanocomposites with pre-existing hydrogen: insights from atomistic simulations
Key Laboratory of Material Physics of Ministry of Education, School of Physics and Microelectronics, Zhengzhou University, 450001, Zhengzhou, China
Received:
1
October
2023
Accepted:
19
December
2023
Published online:
5
January
2024
Nickel–graphene nanocomposites have been identified as promising candidates for Gen-IV nuclear reactors due to their potential to withstand irradiation damage and hydrogen embrittlement. However, there is currently limited understanding of the synergistic mechanisms between irradiation-induced defects and hydrogen in these composites. This study employs atomistic simulations to investigate the impact of Ni–graphene interfaces on the interaction between irradiation-induced defects and hydrogen, focusing on variables like cascade–interface distance, cascade energy, hydrogen concentration, and ambient temperature. The findings consistently reveal a lower presence of residual irradiated defects in hydrogen-rich composites compared to single-crystal Ni, underscoring the interface’s efficacy as a defect trapping site. Furthermore, the composite system yields a notably reduced variety and quantity of hydrogen-related clusters compared to single-crystal Ni, indicating a milder level of damage in the composites. These results contribute to the potential application of Ni–graphene nanocomposites as materials resistant to irradiation and hydrogen effects in advanced nuclear reactors.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2024. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
