Influence of Radiation Damage upon the Diffusion of Argon in Potassium Chloride

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The diffusion of Ar41 and Ar39 in single crystals of potassium chloride is studied as a function of irradiation dose. It is found that the diffusion coefficients of argon are significantly decreased by increasing the irradiation dose. The influence of neutron bombardment is considerable at low temperatures, the diffusion coefficient being changed by several orders of magnitude. The general behaviour, as shown in an Arrhenius diagram, follows the same pattern independently of the irradiation dose. At high temperatures the diffusion coefficient is constant with time and has an activation energy of 8.7 ± 0.8 kcal/mol and an interstitial diffusion mechanism seems to be plausible. At intermediate temperatures the diffusion coefficient increases during isothermal annealing and ultimately reaches a constant value. At low temperature the diffusion coefficient is again constant with time.

This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit: