Surface morphology changes and deuterium retention in Toughened, Fine-grained Recrystallized Tungsten under high-flux irradiation conditions

Abstract Surface morphology changes and deuterium (D) retention in Toughened, Fine-Grained Recrystallized Tungsten (TFGR W) with TaC dispersoids (W-TaC) and pure tungsten exposed to D plasmas to a fluence of 1026 D/m2 s were studied as a function of the D ion flux (1022–1024 D/m2 s). As the flux increased from 1022 D/m2 s to 1024 D/m2 s, the numbers of blisters increased for both materials. However, smaller blisters were observed on W-TaC compared to pure W. In W-TaC, cracks beneath the surface along grain boundaries were observed, which were comparable to the blister sizes. The reason for the smaller blister sizes may arise from smaller grain sizes of W-TaC. In addition, reduction of the D retention in W-TaC was observed for higher flux exposures. D depth profiles indicate this reduction arises due to decrease in trapping in the bulk.

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