Mechanical property changes of borosilicate glass induced by mono and sequential ion-irradiations

•The effects of mono and sequential ion-irradiations on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a borosilicate glass were studied.•The ion-irradiation induced changes in mechanical properties are closely related to the concentration of BO3 units.•The final equilibrium damage state of samples was controlled by the sequential ion-irradiation. This study discusses the impact of mono and sequential ion-irradiations on the glass microstructural and mechanical properties of the borosilicate glass. Under mono H-ion irradiation, with a slight decrease in both the hardness and modulus. In the mono Au and He ion-irradiation scenarios, the mechanical properties of the sample decrease with increasing fluence and eventually reach saturation. However, the saturation values of the hardness and modulus differ for these two mono-ion irradiation scenarios. Sequential H-ion irradiation can facilitate damage recovery in Au-ion pre-irradiated samples, while sequential Au-ion irradiation can promote damage in the He-ion pre-irradiated glass. The trend of the mechanical property change is in align with that of the surface morphology evolution. The ultimate equilibrium state is governed by the sequentially irradiated ions. Moreover, this study demonstrates a close correlation between the mechanical properties and the boron structure of the glass. These results are crucial for understanding the radiation damages caused by multi-particle irradiation during nuclear waste glass immobilization.