CAREER: Radiation Response and Stability of Nanostructured Materials

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。这项教师早期职业发展（Career）提案的主要目标是发现纳米材料的原子尺度细节。对辐照的响应，并探索性能调整的可能性，以实现高温反应堆设计的极耐辐射材料。该项目的科学目标是：(1)对边界在纳米颗粒材料辐射损伤发展中的作用有一个基本的认识；(2)研究极端辐射环境下边界的稳定性极限；(3)评价边界不稳定性对缺陷吸收效率的重要性；(4)发现耐辐射材料纳米级设计的关键。该项目将重点研究SiC和T91合金，它们是反应堆堆芯结构的重要材料。从不同粒径的材料合成开始，进行系统的离子辐照和辐照后表征。该项目将使用原子探针断层扫描提供最全面的三维原子分布分析。离子辐照和原位透射电镜将用于观察缺陷产生的动力学过程。如果成功，该项目将在理解纳米材料辐射损伤的基本物理方面开辟新的领域，并将为可靠、负担得起和清洁的核能做出贡献。此外，通过该项目获得的知识将影响在极端辐射环境中使用的各种设备、传感器和探测器的制造和应用。例子包括纳米结构材料的制造，这需要离子注入进行掺杂，纳米电子学在空间应用中的功能失效预测，以及粒子物理学和国土安全应用中的辐射探测器的开发。该项目还将通过其教育和推广计划产生广泛的影响，以：(1)增加本科生和少数民族学生对新兴材料研究的参与；(2)开发新的核材料理学硕士课程；(3)创建电子学习资源，整合研究、教学和课程开发，促进核材料科学前沿的公共学习；(4)建设离子材料研究中心，将其作为离子束相关材料科学跨学科研究和教学的平台。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The main objectives of this Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) proposal are to discover atomic-scale details governing nanomaterials? response to irradiation, and to explore the possibilities of property-tuning to achieve extremely radiation tolerant materials for high temperature reactor designs. The scientific goals of the project are to (1) obtain a fundamental understanding about the roles of boundaries in radiation damage development of nanograined materials; (2) study the stability limit of boundaries under extreme radiation environments; (3) evaluate the importance of boundary instability to defect sink efficiency; and (4) discover the keys in nanoscale design of radiation tolerant materials. The project will focus on SiC and T91 alloys, which represent important materials for reactor core structures. Starting with materials synthesis with different grain sizes, systematic ion irradiation and post irradiation characterization will be performed. The project will use atom probe tomography to provide the most comprehensive analysis of 3-dimensial atom distribution. Ion irradiation and in situ transmission electron microscopy will be used to observe the dynamics process of defect creation. If successful, the project will break new ground in understanding the basic physics of radiation damage in nanoscale materials and will contribute to reliable, affordable, and clean nuclear energy. Furthermore, the knowledge obtained through the project will impact the fabrication and application of a wide range of devices, sensors and detectors used in extreme radiation environments. Examples include fabrication of nanostructured materials, which requires ion implantation for doping, prediction of functional failures of nanoelectronics in space applications, and development of radiation detectors in particle physics and in homeland security applications. The project will also have broad impact with its educational and outreach plans to (1) increase participation of undergraduate students and minority students in emerging materials research; (2) develop curriculum for a new Master of Science program in nuclear materials; (3) create e-learning resources to integrate research, teaching and curriculum development, and to promote public learning in frontiers of nuclear materials science; and (4) develop the Center of Ion & Materials Research and use it as a platform for interdisciplinary research and teaching in ion beam related materials science.