b'directly dissolved from intermediateAccomplishments:motifs instead of forming a stable1.Constructed a portable long-term silica layer on the SiC surface. Whenexposure autoclave (LEXA) for barriers are considered, the preferredhydrothermal corrosion study reaction path for SiC dissolution goesof irradiated SiC samples and through the intermediate H 2 SiO 3 completed a 90-day exposure on motif, followed by hydrolysis andthe ion irradiated and neutron deprotonation reactions.irradiated samples.Furthermore, the surface2.Designed and conducted in-situ orientation effects on corrosionirradiation-corrosion experiment processes have been identifiedon SiC sample with and without by considering a set of low-indexpre-irradiation and observed surfaces, and the team foundenhanced corrosion underthat the (110) surface would beactive proton irradiation where the most corrosion-resistantboth displacement damage and surface compared with others,radiolysis products affected the which could provide somecorrosion rate of SiC (example strategies for the design of highshown in Figure 1).corrosion-resistant SiC materials3.The microstructure of proton for hydrothermal applications.irradiated SiC is comparable However, it should be noted thatwith neutron irradiated samples besides the interfacial corrosion,in black spot defects, stacking the microstructure in materials,faults (SFs), and Frank loops.such as grain boundaries (GB), is another essential factor to4.Modeling work revealed thataffect the corrosion behavior ofas the oxygen concentration materials, as reported in otherin the environment increases, experimental work. Incoherentaccompanied by the increased grain boundaries corrosion wasredox potential of water, the accelerated under strain and thecorrosion mechanism switches presence of under-coordinatedfrom a Si reaction-driven condi-Si within the GB region, both oftion to a condition where both which reduce the positive chargeSi and C reactions are possible. on silicon atoms, making themHence, accelerated corrosion more reactive with oxygen. behavior can be modeled as a function of corrosion potential and oxygen content.2022|AFC ACCOMPLISHMENTS 63'