In situ coupled ion radiation and corrosion studies of binary alloys using dark field x-ray microscopy.

A fundamental understanding of the corrosion process in nuclear reactors is important for the maintenance of existing alloys and the design of the next generation of corrosion-resistant materials. Even though irradiation-assisted corrosion has recently been well investigated, the nanoscale understanding is still limited. Critical questions remain. For example, how does the defect content in
irradiated materials evolve as a function of the initial radiation parameters, such as the flux and radiation type, and how do those defects influence the rates and mechanisms of corrosion? Dark field X-ray Microscopy (DFXM) is a technique that allows the in situ dynamic tracking of fast reactions such as corrosion, with a few tens of nanometre resolution.