Temperature-dependent synergistic evolution mechanism of rhenium and irradiation defects in tungsten-rhenium alloys

•The co-evolution of Re and irradiation defects in W-Re systems was investigated by OKMC simulations.•The Re addition enhances the vacancy-interstitial recombination in W at high temperatures due to the formation of immobile Re-SIA complexes.•Both interstitial and vacancy mechanisms co-contribute to the Re aggregation in irradiated W-Re alloys.•The phase diagrams were proposed to identify the critical condition of Re effects from beneficial-to-harmful and clustering-to-precipitation.