"Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of steels and Ni-base alloys in the pressurized water reactor (PWR) primary circuit has been a cause for reactor outages for many decades. SCC is highly time-dependent and often only sets in after many years. The results collected by a great number of research groups over many years have identified the most important parameters and, in many cases, how they influence the degradation behavior. In the last two decades, the focus of research has shifted from the traditional approach of autoclave testing (for susceptibility and crack growth rates) to high resolution microscopy and chemical analysis. The newly available techniques are providing data on chemical and structural changes locally at the crack tip where stress corrosion cracking occurs. In Oxford, we have focused on applying and developing the characterization techniques that can provide a very high chemical sensitivity at atomic resolution, in order to better understand the underlying mechanism. As it will be demonstrated, this approach has proven very successful."

Prof. Sergio Lozano-Perez graduated in Theoretical Physics from the University of Seville (Spain) in 1998. He then moved to Oxford (UK), where he completed his DPhil in 2012. After working there as a postdoc, lecturer and reader, he has been recently appointed George Kelley Professor of Materials. He leads the Oxford NanoAnalysis group, currently with 13 researchers. For the last 15 years, his research in environmental degradation of nuclear reactors has put the UK at the forefront of high resolution characterization of nuclear reactor materials. His work is internationally recognized for initiating the NanoSIMS, atom-probe and electron microscopy characterization of radiation damage, environmental cracking and surface oxidation at the highest levels of resolution. Current projects on nuclear materials are in collaboration with EDF, EPRI, Areva, INSS, Westinghouse, Rolls Royce and the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research. He has published more than 100 papers and currently holds EPRSC grants EP/K040375/1 and EP/H018921/1 (>£5M) and 6 industrial grants (>£750k).