Investigation of the influence of irradiation on Structural properties of AlN ceramics

Abstract

One of the essential tasks of modern materials science is the studying of the interaction of various types of ionizing radiation with structural materials that have a promising application in reactor engineering [1-3]. Moreover, the creation of new radiation-resistant materials must take into account the effect of ionizing radiation on the resistance to defects formation in the structure and their subsequent evolution, which can lead to deterioration in operational properties of materials. Also, the energy losses of incident ions in matter directly affect defects formation in ceramic materials. Ionizing radiation can initiate dynamic processes associated with the violation of the atomic structure of ceramics, as well as the formation of metastable phases that can lead to partial amorphization and structural failure. The appearance of new metastable phases and the subsequent amorphization of the structure are the most common effects in irradiation of ceramic materials: AlN, TiO2, Si3N4, and SrO2.