Abstract:
The key objective of this study is to determine the effect of interphase boundaries, the
formation of which is caused by the variation of Li2ZrO3/MgLi2ZrO4 phases in lithium-containing
ceramics based on lithium metazirconate, on the resistance to near-surface layer destruction processes
associated with irradiation with He2+ ions. During the observation of the deformation effects that
have an adverse impact on the volumetric swelling of the near-surface layers of ceramics, the thermal
expansion factor caused by high-temperature irradiation was considered, simulating conditions as
close as possible to the operating conditions of these materials as blankets for tritium propagation.
During the studies conducted, it was established that an elevation in the contribution of MgLi2ZrO4
in
the composition of ceramics leads to a rise in resistance to deformation swelling caused by structural
distortions of the crystal lattice, due to a decrease in the effect of thermal expansion, alongside the
presence of interphase boundaries. The established dependencies of the change in the hardness of the
near-surface layer of the studied ceramics made it possible to establish the kinetics of softening caused
by the deformation distortion of the crystalline structure, as well as to determine the relationship
between volumetric swelling and softening (change in hardness) and a decrease in crack resistance
(change in the value of resistance to single compression).
