Assessment of irradiation on the degradation mechanisms of nuclear structural materials

The commercialization of advanced nuclear reactor technologies will require specialized materials which can handle harsh conditions over significant time periods. The property-to-performance relationships of nuclear structural materials in these novel reactor environments are not completely understood and are anticipated to change in the presence of different environmental factors, such as atmospheric composition, temperature, presence of a corrosive media, and ionizing radiation under reactor operating conditions. Deconvoluting the impact of these environmental factors, particularly irradiation damage, on the degradation mechanisms of advanced nuclear materials is critical for enhancing their operating performance.