Radiation Damage of High-Energy Ions Produced By Plasma Focus Device on Surface Morphology of Tungsten

Subject Areas :

mir mohammad reza seyedhabashi ^{1 *} , Ehsanallah Noori ² , alireza aslezaeem ³

1 - Plasma Physics and Nuclear Fusion Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (NSTRI), Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Tehran, Iran.
2 - Plasma Physics and Nuclear Fusion Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (NSTRI), Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Tehran, Iran.
3 - Plasma Physics and Nuclear Fusion Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (NSTRI), Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Tehran, Iran

Received: 2024-10-17 Accepted : 2025-01-12 Published : 2025-09-15

Keywords: Tungsten Plasma Focus Device High-Energy Ions Surface Morphology Crystalline Structure Simultaneous Irradiation,

Abstract :

This study investigates the effects of high-energy helium and argon ion irradiation produced by a Mather-type plasma focus device, both separately and simultaneously, on the surface morphology and crystalline structure of tungsten. Tungsten samples with dimensions 10×10×1 mm were irradiated with 20 shots of helium, argon, and a helium-argon mixture with equal ratios. SEM analysis revealed that helium ion irradiation resulted in the formation of interconnected surface blisters in the nanometer scale, with sizes ranging from 100 nm and larger, inducing compressive stress in the tungsten structure. On the other hand, argon ion irradiation caused the formation of dense surface cracks with a depth of 700 nm and tensile stress in the tungsten structure. Simultaneous irradiation of helium and argon ions led to a combination of deep cracks and surface blisters, indicating the synergistic effects of these two irradiations. Furthermore, XRD results showed that helium ion irradiation caused a shift of peaks to larger angles and a decrease in peak intensity, while argon ion irradiation led to a shift of peaks to smaller angles and a decrease in interplanar spacing in the tungsten crystal structure. This study offers new insights into the synergistic effects of simultaneous ion irradiations, providing an innovative approach to understanding tungsten behavior under fusion-relevant conditions. These findings can aid in improving predictions of erosion and the performance of plasma-facing materials in fusion reactors.

References:

[1] B. Cipiti & G. Kulcinski, "Helium and deuterium implantation in tungsten at elevated temperatures", Journal of Nuclear Materials, vol. 347, no. 3, pp. 298-306, 2005.

[2] N. Dutta, N. Buzarbaruah & S. Mohanty, "Damage studies on tungsten due to helium ion irradiation", Journal of Nuclear Materials, vol. 452, no. 1-3, pp. 51-56, 2014.

[3] V. Pimenov, E. Dyomina, L. Ivanov, S. Maslyaev, V. Gribkov, R. Miklaszewski, M. Scholz, A. Dubrovsky, I. Volobuev & Y. E. Ugaste, "Damage of structural materials for fusion devices under pulsed ion and high temperature plasma beams", Journal of Nuclear Materials, vol. 307, pp. 95-99, 2002.

[4] H. Bolt, V. Barabash, W. Krauss, J. Linke, R. Neu, S. Suzuki, N. Yoshida & A. U. Team, "Materials for the plasma-facing components of fusion reactors", Journal of Nuclear Materials, vol. 329, pp. 66-73, 2004.

[5] H. Bolt, V. Barabash, G. Federici, J. Linke, A. Loarte, J. Roth & K. Sato, "Plasma facing and high heat flux materials–needs for ITER and beyond", Journal of Nuclear Materials, vol. 307, pp. 43-52, 2002.

[6] S. Takamura, T. Miyamoto, Y. Tomida, T. Minagawa & N. Ohno, "Investigation on the effect of temperature excursion on the helium defects of tungsten surface by using compact plasma device", Journal of Nuclear Materials, vol. 415, no. 1, pp.100-103, 2011.

[7] L. Pentecoste, P. Brault, A. L. Thomann, P. Desgardin, T. Lecas, T. Belhabib, M. F. Barthe & T. Sauvage, "Low Energy and low fluence helium implantations in tungsten: Molecular dynamics simulations and experiments", Journal of Nuclear Materials. vol. 470, pp. 44-54, 2016.

[8] X. C. Li, Y. N. Liu, Y. Yu, G. N. Luo, X. Shu & G. H. Lu, "Helium defects interactions and mechanism of helium bubble growth in tungsten: A molecular dynamics simulation", Journal of Nuclear Materials, vol. 451, no. 1-3, pp. 356-360, 2014.

[9] S. Saw, V. Damideh, J. Ali, R. Rawat, P. Lee & S. Lee, "Damage Study of Irradiated Tungsten using fast focus mode of a 2.2 kJ plasma focus", Vacuum, vol. 144, pp.14-20, 2017.

[10] S. Javadi, M. Ghoranneviss, R. Rawat & A. S. Elahi, "Topographical, structural and hardness changes in surface layer of stainless steel-AISI 304 irradiated by fusion-relevant high energy deuterium ions and neutrons in a low energy plasma focus device", Surface and Coatings Technology, vol. 313, pp. 73-81, 2017.

[11] M. Bhuyan, S. R. Mohanty, C. V. S. Rao, P. A. Rayjada & P. M. Raole, "Plasma focus assisted damage studies on tungsten", Applied Surface Science, vol. 264, pp. 674-680, 2013.

[12] M. M. Seyedhabashi, B. Shirani Bidabadi, M. Amirhamzeh Tafreshi, F. Seddighi & A. Nasiri, "Damage studies on irradiated tungsten by helium and argon ions in a plasma focus device", Journal of Radiation Safety and Measurement , vol. 9, no. 5, pp.1-12, 2020.
[13] Y. N. Liu, T. Wu, Y. Yu, X. C. Li, X. Shu & G. H. Lu, "Hydrogen diffusion in tungsten: A molecular dynamics study", Journal of Nuclear Materials, vol. 455, no. 1-3, pp. 676-680, 2014.

[14] L. Sun, S. Jin, X. C. Li, Y. Zhang & G. H. Lu, "Hydrogen behaviors in molybdenum and tungsten and a generic vacancy trapping mechanism for H bubble formation", Journal of Nuclear Materials, vol. 434, no. 1-3, pp. 395-401, 2013.

[15] Wang, Wenmin, J Roth, S Lindig, and CH Wu. "Blister Formation of Tungsten Due to Ion Bombardment." Journal of nuclear materials 299, no. 2 (2001): 124-31.


[16] S. Al-Hawat, M. Soukieh, M. Abou Kharoub & W. Al-Sadat, "Using Mather-type plasma focus device for surface modification of AISI304 Steel", Vacuum, vol. 84, no. 7, pp. 907-912, 2010.

[17] M. Seyedhabashi, M. Ebrahimi, D. Rostamifard, S. Goudarzi, E. Noori & A. Nasiri, "Experimental investigation and simulation of penetration depth of nitrogen ions emitted by plasma focus device inside titanium samples", Results in Physics, vol. 52, pp.106897, 2023.

[18] M. Seyedhabashi, S. Shafiei, M. Tafreshi & B. S. Bidabadi, "Study of surface damage and hydrogen distribution in irradiated tungsten by protons in plasma focus device", Vacuum, vol. 175, pp.109249, 2020.









[19] M. M. Seyedhabashi, B. Shirani Bidabadi, M. Amirhamzeh Tafreshi, F. Seddighi & A. Nasiri, "Damage studies on irradiated tungsten by helium and argon ions in a plasma focus device", Iranian Journal of Radiation Safety and Measurement, vol. 9, no. 5, pp.1-12, 2020

[20] M. M. R. Seyedhabashi, M. A. Asgarian, C. Rasouli & F. Sedighi, "Radiation Damage of Graphite Surface, Used in First-Wall and Divertor of Tokamaks, Irradiated by Hydrogen and Argon in Plasma Focus Device", IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, vol. 50, no. 6, pp.1814-1822, 2022.

[21] M. Tafreshi, M. Habashi, B. Bidabadi, A. Abdisaray, S. Shafiei & A. Nasiri, "Investigating the effects of high-energy pulsed protons on the surface and structural properties of copper and tungsten by MTPF-2 plasma focus device", Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology (JONSAT), vol. 41, no. 2, pp.100-109, 2020.