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Nanoscale phase transitions under extreme conditions within an ion track

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

Jiaming Zhang ,
Maik Lang ,
Rodney C. Ewing ,
Ram Devanathan ,
William J. Weber  and
Marcel Toulemonde
Rodney C. Ewing*
Affiliation:
Department of Geological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
William J. Weber*
Affiliation:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352
Marcel Toulemonde
Affiliation:
Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche sur les Ions, les Matériaux et la Photonique (CIMAP), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Ecole national superieure d'Ingenieurs de Caen (CEA-CNRS-ENSICAEN) and University of Caen, 14070 Caen, France
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: rodewing@umich.edu
b)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: wjweber@utk.edu Present address: University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996. This author was an editor of this journal during the review and decision stage. For the JMR policy on review and publication of manuscripts authored by editors, please refer to http://www.mrs.org/jmr_policy
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Abstract

The dynamics of track development due to the passage of relativistic heavy ions through solids is a long-standing issue relevant to nuclear materials, age dating of minerals, space exploration, and nanoscale fabrication of novel devices. We have integrated experimental and simulation approaches to investigate nanoscale phase transitions under the extreme conditions created within single tracks of relativistic ions in Gd2O3(TiO2)x and Gd2Zr2–xTixO7. Track size and internal structure depend on energy density deposition, irradiation temperature, and material composition. Based on the inelastic thermal spike model, molecular dynamics simulations follow the time evolution of individual tracks and reveal the phase transition pathways to the concentric track structures observed experimentally. Individual ion tracks have nanoscale core-shell structures that provide a unique record of the phase transition pathways under extreme conditions.

Keywords

Ion-solid interactionsSimulationCeramic
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 25 , Issue 7 , July 2010 , pp. 1344 - 1351
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2010

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