Corrosion performance of He+ ion irradiated 304 L stainless steel made by laser powder bed fusion in simulated PWR water

The corrosion performance of irradiated 304 L processed by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) in simulated primary water of pressurized water reactor was investigated. The oxide scales formed on He+ irradiated and unirradiated LPBF 304 L were compared between as-built and solution-annealed samples along with a conventionally rolled irradiated counterpart. The irradiation induced corrosion acceleration by forming slightly thicker duplex-layer films with loose the inner oxide layer was observed on the solution-annealed sample due to the fast diffusion paths provided by irradiation defects. A relatively dense film with a thinner thickness and more Cr enrichment in the inner scale revealed a better corrosion resistance in the as-built LPBF 304 L sample, which was attributed to the better irradiation resistance and the unique microstructure of ultrafine crystalline