Cold-Sprayed W/B₄C/Al Coatings for Neutron and γ-Rays Absorption

With the widespread use of nuclear energy, the storage of surplus spent fuel has emerged as a critical issue that needs to be solved, especially for the efficient absorption of neutron radiation and secondary γ-rays generated by spent fuel produced when ¹⁰B absorbs neutrons. In this work, B₄C/Al and W/B₄C/Al coating were prepared on 316 L stainless steel by cold spraying. The microstructure and tensile properties of the coatings were investigated. The performance of the thermal neutron and secondary γ-rays absorption of the two coatings were simulated using the Monte Carlo approach. The results indicated that, compared to the B₄C/Al coating, the W/B₄C/Al coating exhibited better mechanical properties due to the tamping effect of the W particles. In addition, the secondary γ-rays absorption property was improved due to the addition of W.