Damages induced by heavy ions in titanium silicon carbide: Effects of nuclear and electronic interactions at room temperature

Thanks to their refractoriness, carbides are sensed as fuel coating for the IVth generation of reactors. Among those studied, the Ti₃SiC₂ ternary compound can be distinguished for its noteworthy mechanical properties: the nanolamellar structure imparts to this material some softness as well as better toughness than other classical carbides such as SiC or TiC. However, under irradiation, its behaviour is still unknown. In order to understand this behaviour, specimens were irradiated with heavy ions of different energies, then characterised. The choice of energies used allowed separation of the effects of nuclear interactions from those of electronic ones.