Observation of the microstructural changes in lithium titanate by multi-ion irradiation

The irradiation behavior of Li2TiO3 under a fusion reactor environment was simulated by simultaneous irradiation of Li2TiO3 by the triple ion beams and the respective single ion beams of O2+, He+ and H+. The microstructural changes in Li2TiO3 caused by the irradiation were measured by Raman spectroscopy and FT-IR photoacoustic spectroscopy. The results suggest that the formation of TiO2 due to displacements by irradiation occurs, and the irradiation defects generated by irradiation trap hydrogen and increase the amount of hydroxyl near the surface. Such phenomena are believed to significantly affect the chemical form of the released tritium and the tritium inventory in the breeding materials of a fusion reactor.