Molecular dynamics simulation of the diffusion of self-interstitial atoms and interstitial loops under temperature gradient field in tungsten

Tungsten (W) and W-based alloys are potential candidates for next-generation fusion reactors, which would withstand both irradiation damages and heavy heat load. In this work, we employed the molecular dynamic method to simulate the behaviors of different radiation defects under the effect of the temperature gradient field, which is induced by heat load. The rotation of the ⟨ 111 ⟩ dumbbell and habit plane of 1/2 ⟨ 111 ⟩ interstitial loops is analyzed in detail. The results show that these two behaviors are not significantly affected by the temperature gradient. Contrary to the thermal equilibrium state, temperature gradient results in the directional diffusion of ⟨ 111 ⟩ dumbbell and 1/2 ⟨ 111 ⟩ interstitial loops in tungsten from the cold to the hot region. The energy barrier is also reduced in the temperature gradient field, which accelerates the defect diffusion. These results indicate that the accumulation of radiation defects in the high-temperature region is expected in temperature gradient fields, which would lead to more severe radiation damages and degradation of materials.