AbstractPlan view and cross-section transmission electron microscopy was used to investigate the microstructure of magnesium aluminate spinel (MgAl2O4) following room temperature irradiation with either 430 MeV Kr, 614 MeV Xe, or 72 MeV I ions. The fluences ranged from 1×1016/m2 (single track regime) to 1×1020/m2. Destruction of the ordered spinel crystal structure on both the anion and cation sublattices was observed in the ion tracks at low fluences. At intermediate fluences, the overlapping ion tracks induced the formation of a new metastable crystalline phase. Amorphization with a volumetric expansion of ∼35% was observed in spinel irradiated with swift heavy ions (electronic stopping powers >7 keV/nm) at fluences above 1×1019/m2. These results demonstrate that swift heavy ion radiation can induce microstructural changes not achievable with conventional elastic collision irradiation at comparable temperatures.
Swift heavy ion tracks in nanocrystalline Y4Al2O9
