Nanomechanical properties of low-energy Fe-ion implanted Eurofer97 and pure Fe

Ferritic-martensitic steels are among the prime candidates to make up structural parts of new generation reactors. Nanoindentation was conducted on 2 materials: low activation Fe-9Cr-1WVTa (Eurofer97) and a model pure iron. Both materials were implanted at low energy (275 keV) with Fe ions at different temperatures (room-temperature, 300 °C, 450 °C), with damage levels ranging from 0.1 to 10 dpa. After implantation, the samples were indented with a diamond Berkovitch tip at room-temperature. The results display varying softening and hardening effects depending on damage level and implantation temperature, which have been correlated with: (i) dislocation loop type distribution, (ii) Cr-content and (iii) the presence of other alloying elements. Obtained mechanical and structural results were compared with the available data from the literature.