Exposure of austenitic stainless steels to liquid lead-bismuth eutectic with low concentration of dissolved oxygen typically results in selective leaching of highly-soluble alloying elements and ferritization of the dissolution-affected zone. In this work, focused ion beam, transmission electron backscatter diffraction and scanning transmission electron microscopy were utilised to elucidate early-stage aspects of the dissolution corrosion process of cold-worked austenitic stainless steels exposed to static, oxygen-poor liquid lead-bismuth eutectic at 450C for 1000 hours. It was found that deformation-induced twin boundaries in the cold-worked steel bulk provide paths of accelerated penetration of the liquid metal into the steel bulk.

a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f oWe discuss the challenge of selecting materials for nuclear applications and outline the need for comprehensive databases to assist scientists and engineers in choosing materials that meet interdependent physical, chemical, and nuclear criteria. In conventional engineering, chemical and physical properties and the electronic structure of materials are typically the primary considerations; nuclear applications must also consider the nuclear physics characteristics of a material. Development of databases that correlate physical, chemical, and nuclear properties would accelerate and facilitate innovations in nuclear design.

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