Initial microstructure and temperature dependence of irradiation defects evolution in tungsten

Using the object kinetic Monte Carlo (OKMC) method and the sink strength model, we systematically investigated the influence of the initial microstructure and temperature on the aggregation, migration, removal, and resulting size distribution of defects emerging in tungsten (W) under neutron irradiation. It is found that the probability of defect absorption at grain boundaries is generally higher than that at dislocations. This suggests that the grain size (2 ∼ 20 μm) has a stronger effect on the evolution of irradiation defects compared to dislocation density (10¹⁰ m⁻² ∼ 10¹³ m⁻²). As the grain size increases, the number of residual defects decreases but the size distribution of vacancies is basically unchanged. Besides initial microstructure, the evolution of radiation damage also depends on the irradiation temperature. The increase in temperature induces an initial increase in the number density of voids, and then followed by subsequent decreases, corresponding to the peak density at 800–1000 K. Furthermore, the defect evolution in irradiated W with different initial microstructures and temperatures is simulated, and the calculated results are compared with recent experiments. These results help us to understand the role of the initial microstructure of the material in the evolution of the irradiation defects.