https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-025-01762-1
Regular Article
Stress effects after two types of irradiation, with heavy ions and gamma rays, on WC–10Co: hard alloy
1
Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1784, Sofia, Bulgaria
2
Institute of Catalysis, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria
3
International Intergovernmental Organization-Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, 141980, Dubna, Russia
4
Institute of Electronics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1784, Sofia, Bulgaria
5
Physics Department, Yeditepe University, 34755, Istanbul, Turkey
6
Engineering Sciences Department, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Bandirma Onyedi Eylul University, 10200, Bandirma, Balikesir, Turkey
7
Institute of Radiation Problems, Ministry of Science and Education Republic of Azerbaijan, AZ1143, Baku, Azerbaijan
8
Western Caspian University, AZ1001, Baku, Azerbaijan
9
Reactor Physics Department, Nuclear Research Center, Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo, Egypt
10
Low Dimensional Materials Research Center, Khazar University, AZ1096, Baku, Azerbaijan
Received:
1
August
2024
Accepted:
16
June
2025
Published online:
10
July
2025
This study presents the crystal structure of a WC–10Co hard metal alloy before and after irradiation with high-energy fast heavy ions and gamma rays. This alloy can be a promising candidate for use as a plasma containment material in fusion reactors due to its low sputtering and high thermal conductivity. Irradiation was performed using 167-MeV 132Xe26+ ions at four fluences: 5.0 × 1012, 1.0 × 1013, 5.0 × 1013, and 3.38 × 1014 ions/cm2, as well as 60Co gamma irradiation to accumulate absorption doses of 2354 kGy and 4708 kGy at a dose rate of 6.54 kGy/h. X-ray and neutron diffraction data after heavy ion irradiation were used to establish relaxation within the volume of the structure. The positron annihilation spectroscopy data after gamma irradiation (τ1(pristine) = 76.1 ± 3 ps, τ1(2354 kGy) = 93.3 ± 4 ps, and τ1(4708 kGy) = 79.4 ± 4 ps) left the entropic mismatch question open.
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Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
