**Vladimir Krsjak**

Vladimir Krsjak, PhD, is a research associate at the Institute of Nuclear and Physical Engineering (INPE) and the Advanced Technology Research Institute (ATRI) of the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Slovakia (STU). He received his PhD in nuclear power engineering from STU in 2008 on the non-destructive characterization of radiation effects in nuclear materials. He continued as a post-doc researcher at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (Netherlands) in the Safety of Future Nuclear Reactors Unit. In 2012 he joined the Laboratory for Nuclear Materials at the Swiss Paul Scherrer Institute. During his postdoctoral appointments, he has worked with leading experts in radiation materials science. He took part in several international irradiation experiments involving thermal and fast reactor irradiation, spallation neutron target irradiation and ion bombardment, focusing on the potential life extension of the current nuclear reactor fleet and material challenges for the future of nuclear power. His current research interests include accelerated radiation ageing of nuclear structural materials and semiconductors with an experimental focus on advanced microstructural characterization methods.

#### **Preface to "Experimental Simulation and Characterization of Radiation Damage in Materials"**

Developing new materials for the next generation of advanced nuclear technologies brings about the need for suitable irradiation experiments and reliable/reproducible post-irradiation examination (PIE). The standardized testing of activated materials in hot-cell facilities might still be considered unavoidable for nuclear power reactor development. However, exposure to fission neutron radiation cannot adequately simulate the radiation environments of nuclear fusion or spallation neutron sources. For this reason, considerable efforts are being devoted to using ion bombardment as a surrogate for neutron irradiation and developing new, innovative methods for material characterization. The use of particle accelerators to simulate harsh radiation environments provides an easily and well controlled environment that enables us to isolate and study the effects of temperature and displacement damage rate or to effectively simulate transmutation reactions in materials such as helium or hydrogen production.

This book aims to advance the current knowledge in ion irradiation studies and the accelerated ageing of materials. The collected papers address various areas in the field, from the fundamentals of ion beam modification to innovative experimental characterization of the materials and related theoretical modelling. The present research contributes primarily to the understanding of the applied aspects of ion bombardment as a surrogate for neutron irradiation and a tool for experimental simulation of harsh radiation environments. At the same time, this Special Issue features several exciting studies on the microstructural characterization and radiation tolerance of materials across a broad spectrum of scientific and industrial areas.

> **Vladimir Krsjak** *Editor*
