Microstructure Evolution and Effect on Deuterium Retention in TiC- and ZrC-Doped Tungsten under He+ Ion Irradiation

Combining the advantages of a wet chemical method and spark plasma sintering, carbide-doped materials W-1wt%TiC and W-1wt%ZrC were prepared. Microstructural evolution in W-1wt%TiC and W-1wt%ZrC under irradiation of 5 keV He+ at 600 degrees C to fluences up to 5.0 x 10(21) ions/m(2) with ion flux of about 8.8 x 10(17) ions/m(2)s was investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The dislocation loop number density of W-1wt%TiC was higher than that of W-1wt%ZrC, but the average loop size of the W-1wt%TiC was in average smaller. There were no observable helium bubbles in W-1wt%TiC and W-1wt%ZrC, exhibiting higher radiation resistance to He+ compared to pure W. He+ pre-damaged and undamaged W-1wt%TiC and W-1wt%ZrC samples were irradiated by 5 keV D-2(+) to estimate the D retention in doped W materials. The irradiation damage impact of He+ on deuterium retention was examined by a method of thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS). Compared with the undamaged samples, it was illustrated that D-2 retention of W-1wt%TiC and W-1wt%ZrC increased after He+ pre-irradiation.