Response of structure and mechanical properties of high entropy pyrochlore to heavy ion irradiation

Material with superior damage tolerance, chemical durability, and structure stability is of increasing interest in high-level radioactive waste management and structural components for advanced nuclear systems. In this paper, high-entropy (La_0.2Ce_0.2Nd_0.2Sm_0.2Gd_0.2)₂Zr₂O₇ with pyrochlore-type structure was synthesized through conventional solid-state method. The as-synthesized high-entropy oxide maintained crystalline after being irradiated by using Au³⁺ with 9.0 MeV energy at the fluence of 4.5 × 10¹⁵ ions·cm^-2, indicating its high tolerance to heavy-ion irradiation. The irradiation-induced order-disorder transition from pyrochlore structure to defective fluorite structure occurred in high-entropy (La_0.2Ce_0.2Nd_0.2Sm_0.2Gd_0.2)₂Zr₂O₇. After irradiation, no irradiation-induced segregation was observed at grain boundary. Moreover, the mechanical properties of high-entropy pyrochlore were improved. The heavy-ion irradiation resistance mechanisms of high-entropy pyrochlore were discussed in detail. Our work identified high-entropy (La_0.2Ce_0.2Nd_0.2Sm_0.2Gd_0.2)₂Zr₂O₇ can be a promising candidate for immobilization of high-level radioactive waste as well as advanced nuclear reactor system from the perspective of irradiation resistance.