Enhanced helium ion irradiation tolerance in a Fe-Co-Ni-Cr-Al-Ti high-entropy alloy with L1₂ nanoparticles

L1₂-strengthened high entropy alloys (HEAs) with excellent room and high-temperature mechanical properties have been proposed as promising candidates as structural materials for advanced nuclear systems. However, knowledge about their radiation response is fairly limited. In the present work, a novel HEA with a high density of L1₂ nanoparticles was irradiated with He ion at 500 °C. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and atom probe tomography (APT) were employed to study the evolution of microstructural stability and radiation-induced segregation. Similar to the single-phase FeCoNiCr HEA, the main microstructural features were numerous large faulted dislocation loops and helium bubbles. While the irradiation resistance of the present L1₂-strengthened HEA is much improved in terms of reduced bubble size, which could be attributed to the considerable He trapping efficiency of the coherent precipitate/matrix interface and the enhanced capability of the interface for damage elimination when the matrix channel width is narrow. APT analysis revealed that an inverse-Kirkendall-mechanism-dominated radiation-induced segregation (RIS) occurs around bubbles, where a significant Co enrichment and Ni depletion can be clearly observed. In addition, the competing dynamics of ballistic mixing and elemental clustering that raised from the irradiation-enhanced diffusion in a highly supersaturated matrix, along with the low precipitation nucleation barrier due to the small lattice misfit, lead to a dynamical precipitation dissolution and re-precipitation appears under irradiation. Such a promising phenomenon is expected to promote a potential self-healing effect and could in turn provide a sustainable irradiation tolerance over the operational lifetime of a reactor.