Synergistic effect of helium and hydrogen for defect evolution under multi-ion irradiation of Fe–Cr ferritic alloys

Abstract The purpose of this study is to evaluate the synergistic effect of helium and hydrogen on Fe–Cr ferritic model alloys, to provide basic understanding concerning development of fusion reactor components. Single, dual and triple ion-beams consisting of Fe3+, He+ and H+ were used for irradiation, at temperatures 470–600 °C and dose to 50 dpa at 1 μm. The dual beam irradiation with He enhanced cavity nucleation extensively to swelling of about 0.4%, whereas the dual beam irradiation with H did not significantly affect the microstructure. In the case of triple ion irradiation, the synergistic effect of He and H was confirmed clearly; relative large void formation and enhanced swelling to almost 5%. The synergistic effect suggests that the role of H is important for void growth and dislocation bias.