Many aspects in the design of new materials, and assessment of their performance in harsh reactor environments, must be addressed at the atomic scale; and in many cases APT is now considered an essential characterisation tool. Hence, APT is increasingly needed to underpin research across all stages in the nuclear energy cycle: materials design for new reactor manufacturing, component safety and failure analysis, waste/storage and even accident investigation.
Unique nanoscale insights that can be provided by APT include: investigating radiation-induced atomic-scale solute clustering, characterising segregation to microstructural interfaces, and locating low concentration transmuted elements - all vital information for developing new engineering materials for nuclear applications.
Our vision is to establish a facility with a straightforward, streamlined procedure to request user access and support across every stage of APT analysis. A key to this vision is the synergy between the MRF and Oxford. The MRF provides vital expertise and equipment to receive and prepare APT samples from active materials that Oxford cannot process, such as neutron-irradiated materials from UK or overseas partners. The close proximity of the two institutes enables efficient exchange of researchers/expertise, while APT samples can be readily transferred.
This process will be underpinned by a dedicated Atom Probe Scientist who will act as the single point of contact for users, providing ongoing, tailored experimental support. This will range from training new users to guiding those experienced in APT to undertake more complex experiments, along with undertaking commercial work for industry.
Our strategy is optimised to remove barriers for non-expert users, promote the technique and rapidly expand the facility user-base. The broadening of the user-base combined with enhanced capabilities to address increasingly challenging scientific topics aims to encourage diversifying of the research projects in the UK underpinned by APT, including materials for geological disposal, Gen IV reactors, fusion candidates and even fuels.
