Disorder and damage recovery in irradiated lithium oxide

Abstract

We assess the disorder created in lithium oxide, an important candidate material for tritium breeding in fusion nuclear reactors, by high-energy neutron bombardment. Steinhardt order parameters distinguish the different local environments of Li ions in the damaged structure, differentiating between interstitial and lattice sites. The order parameters are also used to determine the evolution of the damage with time. We estimate the time needed for healing to return to the pre-damaged structure over a range of temperatures and show that this is at a minimum at temperatures close to the working conditions of a breeding blanket.