Effect of Precipitates on Dislocation Loops in Vanadium Alloy After Irradiation with 60 keV Deuterium Ions at Room Temperature

The effect of different precipitates and nanoparticles on the distribution of radiation-induced dislocation loops in V-4Cr-4Ti alloy and V-4Cr-4Ti-1.8Y-0.4Ti3SiC2 alloy were studied. Both alloys were irradiated with 60 keV deuterium, and the distribution of the dislocation loops was statistically analyzed using the transmission electron microscope (TEM) technique. The results indicated that platelet-like Ti(CNO) precipitates affect the dislocation distribution, in which a significantly reduced dislocation number density in the area within 20 nm of the interface was observed. This phenomenon is attributed to the strong compressive strain in the vertical interface direction at the precipitates/matrix interface. No significant effect on loop distribution was observed in the coherent TiC/matrix interface, which may result from the almost no strain interface. In addition, the uniform distribution of radiation-induced dislocation loops in equivalent crystal orientation was confirmed via the TEM images with multiple g vectors.