Advanced Nuclear Materials Design: Computational and Experimental Investigations

核能是支持英国社会和经济的重要能源，占英国电力生产的20%。安全核技术的发展至关重要，取决于反应堆堆芯极端环境中材料的反应。在这里，中子轰击引起的辐射损伤，改变材料的微观结构，并降低其性能。结合高性能计算（HPC）和世界一流的显微镜和离子加速器材料研究（迈阿密）设施在哈德斯菲尔德大学，我们将确定非氧化物陶瓷的辐射损伤的响应。这类材料对未来的第四代核裂变反应堆具有特别的技术重要性。这些调查将提供原子级的见解，这些材料的结构修改下中子轰击。这种互补的建模和实验数据的结合将有助于非氧化物陶瓷的3D纳米结构的设计，使其对辐射损伤具有更大的弹性。最终目标是为先进核材料的合成提供信息，使其能够从辐射损伤中恢复并适应辐射损伤。

Nuclear power is a critical energy source to support UK society and economy as it accounts for 20% of UK electricity production. The development of safe nuclear technologies is of paramount importance and depends on the response of materials in the extreme environment of a reactor core. Here, neutron bombardment causes radiation damage which modifies the microstructure of materials and deteriorates their performance.Combining high-performance computing (HPC) and the world-class Microscopes and Ion Accelerators for Materials Investigations (MIAMI) facilities at the University of Huddersfield, we will determine the response of non-oxide ceramics to radiation damage. This class of materials is of particular technological importance for future Generation IV nuclear fission reactors. These investigations will deliver atom-level insights into the structural modification of these materials under neutron bombardment. This combination of complementary modelling and experimental data will feed into the design of 3D nanostructures of non-oxide ceramics with greater resilience to radiation damage. Ultimately the goal is to inform the synthesis of advanced nuclear materials with the ability to recover from and accommodate radiation damage.