New approach to preventing embrittlement could be useful in nuclear reactors
Tuesday, March 29, 2016 - 06:00
in Physics & Chemistry
High-tech metal alloys are widely used in important materials such as the cladding that protects the fuel inside a nuclear reactor. But even the best alloys degrade over time, victims of a reactor's high temperatures, radiation, and hydrogen-rich environment. Now, a team of MIT researchers has found a way of greatly reducing the damaging effects these metals suffer from exposure to hydrogen.