Ion Irradiation Damage Behavior in Titanium Carbide with Different Stoichiometry

doi:10.15541/jim20250228

Abstract

Abstract:

Gen IV nuclear reactors operate in extreme service environments characterized by high temperature and intense irradiation, imposing stringent demands on structural materials and thus necessitating the development of novel irradiation resistant materials. Titanium carbide (TiC_x) ceramic is considered as promising structural material for advanced nuclear reactors, attributed to its high melting point, excellent mechanical properties, and excellent corrosion resistance. In this study, TiC_x films with different stoichiometries were irradiated with 3 MeV Au²⁺, aiming to systematically investigate irradiation-induced changes in structural characteristics, surface morphology and mechanical properties under different irradiation fluences. The results revealed that structural disorder of TiC_x intensified with increasing irradiation fluence, while the substoichiometric TiC_x maintained superior structural stability after irradiation. Surface roughness of substoichiometric TiC_x showed no significant variation after irradiation, with no irradiation-induced crack. Additionally, both hardness and elastic modulus of TiC_x exhibited an increasing trend after irradiation, demonstrating that substoichiometric TiC_x enhanced resistance to irradiation compared to near-stoichiometric counterparts. The native carbon vacancies in substoichiometric TiC_x effectively suppress accumulation of irradiation-induced defects, thereby preserving excellent stability. This study provides critical insights into the relationship between stoichiometry and irradiation damage in TiC_x, while offering valuable guidance for designing new classes of irradiation-resistant ceramic materials.

Key words: titanium carbide film, ion irradiation, structural analysis, surface morphology, mechanical property

CLC Number:

TB43

SHI Jinyu, LEI Yiming, WANG Chenxu, ZHANG Jie, WANG Jingyang. Ion Irradiation Damage Behavior in Titanium Carbide with Different Stoichiometry[J]. Journal of Inorganic Materials, 2026, 41(3): 322-330.

Figures/Tables 8

Fig. 1 (a-c) Damage dose and Au2+ concentration profiles induced by 3 MeV Au2+ irradiation in (a) TiC0.62, (b) TiC0.72, and (c) TiC0.98 at various fluences; (d) Damage dose profiles of samples at a fluence of 2×1016 cm-2 Colorful figures are available on website

Fig. 2 Raman spectra of TiCx films before and after irradiation with various fluences (a) TiC0.62; (b) TiC0.72; (c) TiC0.98

Fig. 3 Surface two-dimensional morphologies and three-dimensional morphologies obtained by AFM of as-deposited and irradiated TiCx films with various fluences

Fig. 4 (a) Roughness and (b) relative roughness of TiCx films under different fluences Colorful figures are available on website

Fig. 5 High-magnification surface morphologies of TiCx films under different fluences

Fig. 6 (a) Variations of hardness and (b) elastic modulus of as-deposited and irradiated TiCx films with damage dose

Table S1 Raman peak positions of as-deposited and irradiated TiCx films under different fluences

Sample	Fluence	Peak position/cm^-1
Sample	Fluence	TA	LA	TO
TiC_0.62	Virgin	273.69	418.55	605.78
	1×10¹⁴ cm^-2	273.58	418.32	605.83
	1×10¹⁵ cm^-2	273.52	418.33	605.80
	1×10¹⁶ cm^-2	273.60	418.22	605.81
	2×10¹⁶ cm^-2	273.55	418.55	605.79
TiC_0.72	Virgin	279.69	415.58	604.19
	1×10¹⁴ cm^-2	275.49	415.65	604.28
	1×10¹⁵ cm^-2	274.86	415.32	604.54
	1×10¹⁶ cm^-2	273.69	415.27	604.81
	2×10¹⁶ cm^-2	273.80	415.55	604.54
TiC_0.98	Virgin	277.29	416.55	595.40
	1×10¹⁴ cm^-2	275.49	416.55	598.87
	1×10¹⁵ cm^-2	273.69	416.62	604.07
	1×10¹⁶ cm^-2	271.89	416.55	605.81
	2×10¹⁶ cm^-2	270.09	416.78	605.81

Fig. S1 Low-magnification surface morphologies of TiCx films under different fluences

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