SOLUTE SEGREGATION AND PRECIPITATE STABILITY IN IRRADIATED ALLOYS

The mechanisms of solute redistribution in irradiated alloys are discussed. Where point-defects are mobile, radiation-enhanced diffusion and solute segregation are important. The latter results from the drift of solute atoms in a point-defect concentration gradient, and is conveniently studied by experiments involving ion implantation and/or irradiation. The information obtained can be related to the various extant models of solute atom interaction with point defects. In a multiphase alloy, the partitioning of solutes between precipitates and the matrix is changed by irradiation, as a result of recoil mixing and solute segregation. The relative importance of these effects depends on the irradiation conditions and the nature of the alloy. The various possible regimes are described and related to experimental results.