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Updated: Mar 31, 2026
Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses
Published on: June 7, 2018
Opposite correlations between cation disordering and amorphization resistance in spinels versus pyrochlores
Blas Pedro Uberuaga1, Ming Tang1, Chao Jiang2
1Materials Science and Technology Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
Spinel compounds resist radiation damage differently than pyrochlores. Their resistance to amorphization is linked to the energy needed to disorder their structure, due to unique cation sublattice defects.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nuclear Engineering
- Solid State Physics
Background:
- Predicting radiation damage in complex materials is vital for advanced nuclear energy.
- Understanding amorphization resistance in oxides is key for material stability under irradiation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the amorphization resistance of spinel compounds under irradiation.
- To elucidate the underlying mechanisms governing radiation damage in spinels compared to pyrochlores.
Main Methods:
- Ion beam irradiation experiments.
- Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses.
- Atomistic simulation techniques.
Main Results:
- Spinel compounds exhibit amorphization resistance directly correlated with their energy to disorder.
- This behavior contrasts with pyrochlores, where the correlation is inverse.
- Structural defects on the cation sublattice in spinels facilitate disorder relaxation pathways absent in pyrochlores.
Conclusions:
- The unique cation sublattice defects in spinels explain their distinct amorphization resistance behavior.
- These findings offer new insights into radiation damage mechanisms in complex oxides.
- Results advance the development of radiation-tolerant materials for nuclear applications.
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