Phase stability of oxide dispersion-strengthened ferritic steels in neutron irradiation

Oxide dispersion-strengthened ferritic steels were irradiated by neutrons up to 21 dpa and studied by microstructural observation and microchemical analysis. The original high dislocation density did not change after neutron irradiation, indicating that the dispersed oxide particles have high stability under neutron irradiation. However, there is potential for recoil resolution of the oxide particles due to ballistic ejection at high dose. From the microchemical analysis, it was implied that some of the complex oxides have a double-layer structure, such that TiO2 occupied the core region and Y2O3 the outer layer. Such a structure may be more stable than the simple mono-oxides. Under high-temperature irradiation, Laves phase was the predominant precipitate occurring at grain boundaries alpha phase and chi phase were not observed in this study. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.