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  • Monday 1 
  • 17:50
  • - 19:30 
  • Session # 1 
  • Poster No. 4

Depth-resolved Brillouin microscopy of swift heavy ion irradiated ceramics

Zhandos Utegulov1, Vladimir Bessonov1, Anna Shamatova1, Toreniyaz Shomenov1,2, Jacques O'Connell3, Kairolla Sekerbayev1,2, Azat Abdullaev1,2, Artem Kozlovskiy4, Yanwei Wang2,5

  • 1- Department of Physics, School of Sciences and Humanities, Nazarbayev University, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan
  • 2- Center for Energy and Advanced Materials Science, National Laboratory Astana, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan
  • 3- Center for High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy, Nelson Mandela University, Summerstrand, 6031, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
  • 4- Engineering Profile Laboratory, L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Astana, 010008, Kazakhstan
  • 5- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, School of Engineering and Digital Sciences, Nazarbayev University, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan

Presenting Author:

  • Zhandos
  • UTEGULOV

zhutegulov@nu.edu.kz

Ceramics subjected to swift heavy ion (SHI) irradiation experience diverse types and extents of structural damage across different microscale depths, governed by the interplay between electronic (Se) and nuclear (Sn) energy loss mechanisms. As a result, establishing structure–property correlations within these spatially inhomogeneous damage zones is essential for advancing radiation-tolerant ceramic materials. In this study, Brillouin light scattering microscopy is employed for depth-profiling of longitudinal and shear GHz phonons. The elastic, photoelastic and stress responses within both the Se-dominated (Se >> Sn) and Sn-influenced (Sn > Se) regions of magnesium aluminate spinel (MgAl₂O₄) irradiated with 710 MeV Bi⁺ SHIs at doses ranging from 6×10¹⁰ to 6×10¹² ions/cm².

While surface elastic and photo-elastic properties are suppressed with increasing fluence, a notable recovery is observed with rising probed subsurface depths, attributed to enhanced recrystallization facilitated by the tapering morphology of SHI-induced nanoscale-thick tracks. Interestingly, the greater the irradiation dosage at the surface leads to more rapid restoration of elastic and photoelastic pe4rfromance at deeper depths, including near the ion end-of-range where point defect densities peak.

At the highest fluence (6×10¹² ions/cm²), spinel transforms into a nano-composite of closely spaced nano-crystalline “pillars” (~15 nm wide) separated by amorphous boundaries due to track overlap. This structure, present in both stressed and unstressed states, supports new confined GHz acoustic modes due to acoustic impedance mismatches. The amorphous phase, characterized by higher P12 and lower density, contrasts with the denser crystalline phase, consistent with LAADF-STEM and Brillouin depth profiling. Beyond the ion range, strain diminishes under compression, as evidenced by a 57.9 GHz Brillouin peak enhancement. Stress propagation into unirradiated regions alters elastic and photoelastic properties, as well as Raman, photoluminescence and refractive index signals.

These results challenge traditional understandings of SHI damage buildup and offer new insights into designing ceramics with tunable subsurface mechanical and opto-mechanical resilience. Such tuning is enabled by the fluence- and depth-dependent evolution of ion track morphology and point defect landscapes under extreme radiation environments, as revealed by Brillouin microscopy.

This work is supported by an AP19679332 grant from Kazakhstan Ministry of Science and Higher Education; 111024CRP2003 and 20122022CRP1608 grants via Collaborative Research Program (CRP) and 20122022FD4130 grant via Faculty Development Competitive Research Grants Program (FDCRGP) of Nazarbayev University.