Characterisation of Materials used in Nuclear Environments

The understanding of the performance of materials is vital for justification of next generation fission reactor plant design, plant lifetime extension of current operating reactors as well as the development of fusion reactors. Characterisation techniques (such as TEM, SEM, SIMS, etc) have played an important role in the understanding of material degradation in nuclear environments and their vital role in providing scientists with information to aid this understanding will continue into the future. Materials in reactor plants are exposed to extreme environments such as aggressive water chemistries, high temperatures and pressures as well high radiation damage. This conference aims to give an insight into the study and current mechanistic understanding of various reactor components corrosion and degradation as well as the techniques that are employed to aid this understanding.