Magnetic properties of a stainless steel irradiated with 6 MeV Xe ions

Abstract Specimens of austenitic stainless steel were irradiated with 6 MeV Xe ions at room temperature to 2, 7, 15 and 25 dpa. The vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PLS) were carried out to analysis the magnetic properties and microstructural variations. The magnetic hysteresis loops indicated that higher irradiation damage causes more significant magnetization phenomenon. The equivalent saturated magnetization M es and coercive force H c were obtained from magnetic hysteresis loops. It is indicated that the M es increases with irradiation damage. While H c increases first to 2 dpa and then decreases continuously with irradiation damage. The different contributions of irradiation defects and ferrite precipitates on M es and H c can explain these phenomena.