Dynamic annealing of defects in irradiated zirconia-based ceramics

We have observed efficient damage recovery in large-scale molecular dynamics simulations of 30 keV Zr recoils in pure zirconia and yttria-stabilized zirconia, which is in stark contrast to radiation damage accumulation in zircon. Dynamic annealing is highly effective in zirconia during the first 5 ps of damage evolution, especially in the presence of oxygen structural vacancies. This results in near-complete recovery of damage. Damage recovery on the cation sublattice is assisted by the anion sublattice recovery, which explains the remarkable radiation tolerance of stabilized zirconia. Ceramics engineered to heal themselves in this fashion hold great promise for use in high-radiation environments or for safely encapsulating high-level radioactive waste over geological time scales.