Tomographic atom-probe analysis of temperature-resistant 12%-chromium ferritic-martensitic steel EK-181

At present, the temperature-resistant steels with a rapid reduction of induced radioactivity appear to be a perspective structural material for new-generation nuclear and thermonuclear reactors. Special attention is paid to the nanostructural state of the elaborated materials. In this work, for the first time, there have been carried out tomographic atom-probe studies of the chromium ferritic-martensitic steel EK-181 (RUSFER EK-181) with 12% Cr. Spatial distributions of chemical elements in the investigated volumes of the material with an atomic resolution have been obtained. The dimensions of the investigated portions of the material are on the order of 10 x 10 x 30 nm(3). There have been observed nanosized preprecipitates (nanoclusters), i.e., regions enriched in V, Cr, and N atoms, with characteristic sizes of about 3 nm.