Some information on the size and density of voids that develop in several high purity metals and alloys during irradiation with neutrons at elevated temperatures has been reported as a function of irradiation parameters. An area of particular interest is the nucleation and early growth stage of voids. It is the purpose of this paper to describe the microstructure in high purity nickel after irradiation to a very low but constant neutron exposure at three different temperatures.Annealed specimens of 99-997% pure nickel in the form of foils 75μ thick were irradiated in a capsule to a total fluence of 2.2 × 1019 n/cm2 (E > 1.0 MeV). The capsule consisted of three temperature zones maintained by heaters and monitored by thermocouples at 350, 400, and 450°C, respectively. The temperature was automatically dropped to 60°C while the reactor was down.
