Microstructural evolution and precipitation in gamma-LiAlO2 during ion irradiation Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Polycrystalline -LiAlO2 pellets were sequentially irradiated with 120keV He+ and 80keV D2+ ions to the fluences of 11017 and 21017 (He++D+)/cm2 at 573K. Additional irradiation was performed to a fluence of 21017 (He++D+)/cm2 at 773K. The irradiated pellets were characterized using scanning transmission electron microscopy, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, and grazing incidence x-ray diffraction. Lattice damage, amorphization, and fractures are observed with no evidence for the formation of secondary-phase precipitates in the pellets irradiated up to an ion fluence of 21017 (He++D+)/cm2 at 573K. In contrast, faceted precipitates with sizes larger than 100nm formed in a pellet irradiated to 21017 (He++D+)/cm2 at 773K. Analyses of the diffraction and composition data suggest that the precipitates have a spinel-type structure, likely a non-stoichiometric LiAl5O8 with Li depletion. This could be an intermediate phase with Li atoms at the octahedral and possibly tetrahedral sites as well. It is speculated that as the dose increases, Li loss will continue and the precipitates will approach a composition of alumina primarily in phases of -Al2O3 and amorphized Al2O3.

published proceedings

  • JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS

author list (cited authors)

  • Jiang, W., Kovarik, L., Zhu, Z., Varga, T., Bowden, M., Matthews, B., ... Senor, D.

citation count

  • 2

complete list of authors

  • Jiang, Weilin||Kovarik, Libor||Zhu, Zihua||Varga, Tamas||Bowden, Mark EE||Matthews, Bethany EE||Hu, Zhihan||Shao, Lin||Senor, David JJ

publication date

  • June 2022