A review on helium mobility in inorganic materials

The presence and migration of helium can have a strong influence on microstructural, physical and thermo-mechanical properties of natural or manufactured inorganic solids. A lot of scientific domains are involved from geo-materials to nuclear materials. This paper presents the results of an extensive review of the literature related to the study of helium migration in a wide range of solids. The most useful experimental techniques are briefly described. Experimental and theoretical works devoted to pure metals, alloys, binary and more complex crystalline oxides, carbides and common minerals are successively considered. Relevant results concerning migration mechanisms and diffusion parameters obtained for metallic and non-metallic solids are outlined. New trends mainly developed for future nuclear applications are also reviewed.