Abstract
There is a need for high-throughput, scale-relevant, and direct electrochemical analysis to understand the corrosion behavior and sensitivity of nuclear materials that are exposed to extreme (high pressure, temperature, and radiation exposure) environments. We demonstrate the multi-scale, multi-modal application of scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM) to electrochemically profile corrosion alterations in nuclear alloys in a microstructurally resolved manner. Particularly, we identify that both mechanically deformed and irradiated microstructures show reduced charge-transfer resistance that leads to accelerated oxidation. We highlight that the effects of mechanical deformation and irradiation are synergistic, and may in fact, superimpose each other, with implications including general-, galvanic-, and/or irradiation-activated stress-corrosion cracking. Taken together, we highlight the ability of non-destructive, electrochemical interrogations to ascertain how microstructural alterations result in changes in the corrosion tendency of a nuclear alloy: knowledge which has implications to rank, qualify and examine alloys for use in nuclear construction applications.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 84 |
Journal | npj Materials Degradation |
Volume | 8 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 2024 |
Funding
The authors acknowledge financial support for this research provided by the U.S. Department of Energy\u2019s Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program through the Oak Ridge National Laboratory operated by UT-Battelle LLC (Contract #: 4000154999) and The National Science Foundation (CAREER Award: 1253269, CMMI: 1401533). The contents of this paper reflect the views and opinions of the authors who are responsible for the accuracy of data presented. This research was carried out in the Laboratory for the Chemistry of Construction Materials (LC2) and the Electron Microscopy Core Facility at UCLA, and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The ion irradiation was performed at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, an Office of Science User Facility operated for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science. Los Alamos National Laboratory, an affirmative action equal opportunity employer, is managed by Triad National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy\u2019s NNSA, under contract 89233218CNA000001. As such, the authors gratefully acknowledge the support that has made these facilities and their operations possible. This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the United States Department of Energy. The United States Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes. The Department of Energy will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the Department of Energy Public Access Plan (http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan).