Stability of Y–Ti complex oxides in Fe–16Cr–0.1Ti ODS ferritic steel before and after heavy-ion irradiation

The mechanical strength of oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steels depends on the dispersion and microstructural stability of the oxide particles. Yttria is normally selected as dispersion particles to strengthen ODS ferritic steels, and other additional elements such as titanium and aluminum are added to obtain finer dispersion particles for the improvement of the mechanical properties of the ODS steels. Kyoto University is involved with the development of new ODS ferritic steels. 16Cr–0.1Ti–0.35Y2O3 ODS steel is a fusion structural material. In this research, the irradiation resistance of 16Cr–0.1Ti–0.35Y2O3 (16Cr0.1Ti) ODS steel was investigated by high-resolution TEM and by performing an ion irradiation experiment. The ODS steel was consolidated by hot extrusion at 1150 °C and annealed at 1050 °C for 1 h for recrystallization. Oxides in 16Cr0.1Ti ODS steel were characterized by HRTEM and STEM-EDX and specified as (Y, Ti) complex oxides with an atomic ratio of Y:Ti = 2:1. A 1.7 MeV tandem accelerator for heavy-ion irradiation at the dual-beam material irradiation facility for energy technology (DuET), Kyoto University, was used to introduce irradiation damages in materials. The comparison of the dispersion, shape, and chemical composition of the oxides between the pre- and post-irradiated materials revealed that (Y, Ti) complex oxides were stable under the ion irradiation up to 60 dpa at 650 °C.