Ion-Irradiation-Induced Damage in Nuclear Materials

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xx

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Diana Bachiller Perea

   Pages 1-14

3. Materials and Methods

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 15-15

      PDF

   2. Studied Materials: a-SiO\(_{2}\) and MgO

      • Diana Bachiller Perea

      Pages 17-29

   3. Ion-Solid Interactions and Ion Beam Modification of Materials

      • Diana Bachiller Perea

      Pages 31-45

   4. Experimental Facilities

      • Diana Bachiller Perea

      Pages 47-57

   5. Experimental Characterization Techniques

      • Diana Bachiller Perea

      Pages 59-82

4. Ion Beam Induced Luminescence in Amorphous Silica

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 83-83

      PDF

   2. General Features of the Ion Beam Induced Luminescence in Amorphous Silica

      • Diana Bachiller Perea

      Pages 85-98

   3. Ionoluminescence in Silica: Role of the Silanol Group Content and the Ion Stopping Power

      • Diana Bachiller Perea

      Pages 99-112

   4. Exciton Mechanisms and Modeling of the Ionoluminescence in Silica

      • Diana Bachiller Perea

      Pages 113-126

5. Ion-Irradiation Damage in MgO

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 127-127

      PDF

   2. MgO Under Ion Irradiation at High Temperatures

      • Diana Bachiller Perea

      Pages 129-149

   3. Ion Beam Induced Luminescence in MgO

      • Diana Bachiller Perea

      Pages 151-167

   4. Conclusions and Prospects for the Future

      • Diana Bachiller Perea

      Pages 169-172

6. Back Matter

   Pages 173-182

   PDF

This thesis investigates the behavior of two candidate materials (a-SiO₂ and MgO) for applications in fusion (e.g., the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor  ITER) and Generation IV fission reactors. Both parts of the thesis – the development of the ionoluminescence technique and the study of the ion-irradiation effects on both materials – are highly relevant for the fields of the ion-beam analysis techniques and irradiation damage in materials. The research presented determines the microstructural changes at different length scales in these materials under ion irradiation. In particular, it studies the effect of the irradiation temperature using several advanced characterization techniques. It also provides much-needed insights into the use of these materials at elevated temperatures. Further, it discusses the development of the ion-beam-induced luminescence technique in different research facilities around the globe, a powerful in situ spectroscopic characterization method that until now was little known.


Thanks to its relevance, rigorosity and quality, this thesis has received two
prestigious awards in Spain and France.

• Ion Irradiation
• Nuclear Materials
• Ionoluminescence
• IBA Techniques
• Ion Beam Modification of Materials
• Ion Beam Analysis Techniques
• Ion-Beam-Induced Luminescence
• Amorphous Silica
• Magnesium Oxide

• Detector Group, SOLEIL Synchrotron, Saint-Aubin, France

  Diana Bachiller Perea

Diana Bachiller Perea studied Physics in the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain) and obtained an Interuniversitary Master's Degree in Nuclear Physics in 2011. Her Thesis was carried out under joint supervision between the Center for Micro-Analysis of Materials (CMAM, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain) and the Centre de Sciences Nucléaires et de Sciences de la Matière (CSNSM, Université Paris-Sud, France). At present, she is working in the company Accelerators and Cryogenic Systems (ACS, Orsay, France) as a scientific expert in accelerators.​

Policies and ethics