Design of Nano-Composites for Ultra-High Strengths and Radiation Damage Tolerance

The combination of high strength and high radiation damage tolerance in nanolaminate composites can be achieved when the individual layers in these composites are only a few nanometers thick and therefore these materials contain a large volume fraction associated with interfaces. These interfaces act both as obstacles to slip, as well as sinks for radiation-induced defects. The morphological and phase stabilities of these nano-composites under ion irradiation are explored as a function of layer thickness, temperature and interface structure. Using results on model systems such as Cu-Nb, we highlight the critical role of the atomic structure of the incoherent interfaces that exhibit multiple states with nearly degenerate energies in acting as sinks for radiation-induced point defects. Reduced radiation damage also leads to a reduction in the irradiation hardening, particularly at layer thickness of approximately 5 nm and below. The strategies for design of radiation-tolerant structural materials based on the knowledge gained from this work will be discussed.