The diffusion of self-interstitial atom clusters in metals with oversized substitutional impurities was studied. Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations were performed which included elastic interactions between defects. It was shown that the self-interstitial atom clusters could become confined in a 1-dimensional segment between impurity atoms due to repulsion from these stress centers. Rare rotation of the easy direction of motion of the clusters permitted them to escape to new confined segments. This suppressed diffusion was examined by using kinetic Monte Carlo simulations and analytical theory. They agreed well.

Suppression of Interstitial Cluster Diffusion by Oversized Solute Atoms. T.S.Hudson, S.L.Dudarev, A.P.Sutton: Journal of Nuclear Materials, 2004, 329-333[2], 971-6