Nanometer-thick films produced in H irradiated Fe-Cr alloy.

Our first-principles investigation on the interaction of vacancies, interstitial H, and solute Cr atoms demonstrates although both Cr and Fe hydrides are unstable as stand-along materials, atomic layers of (Cr,Fe)H 2 are stable in H-supersaturated Fe-Cr alloy. They have coherent interfaces with the Fe matrix, but still can serve as sinks for self-interstitials, vacancies, and also He atoms, improving the irradiation resistance to void swelling. Manganese will enhance the stability of the thin-film, while C and W have strong destroying effect. This finding points to new possibilities of stabilizing an otherwise unstable compound by constraining it in an alloy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]