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<p>Improving the accident tolerance of zirconium-based nuclear fuel claddings is essential to mitigate oxidation-driven hydrogen generation under loss-of-coolant conditions. Here, a nanostructured tantalum carbide (TaC) ceramic coating is deposited onto ZIRLO™ fuel cladding by non-reactive DC magnetron sputtering. The coating was systematically assessed with respect to its microstructural stability, irradiation tolerance, and corrosion behaviour. Characterisation of as-deposited coating confirms a dense, nanocrystalline B1-type TaC structure with excellent adhesion and negligible interdiffusion at the coating-substrate interface. In situ transmission electron microscopy with heavy-ion irradiation up to ~8 dpa reveals exceptional radiation resistance, with no evidence of amorphization, phase decomposition, or radiation-induced segregation. Limited grain coarsening and the formation of Xe bubbles (~2 nm) were observed. Electrochemical measurements in borated aqueous media demonstrated rapid passivation, very low corrosion current densities, and high impedance over prolonged exposure. These results identify nanostructured TaC as a robust and scalable candidate coating for accident-tolerant fuel cladding systems.</p>

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Exceptional irradiation and corrosion resistances of a TaC nanoceramic coating deposited onto ZIRLO™ fuel cladding

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月29日

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  • Stefan Fritze,
  • Barbara Osinger,
  • Petter Ström,
  • Graeme Greaves,
  • Per Eklund,
  • Oscar M. Prada-Ramirez,
  • Vladimir M. Vishnyakov,
  • Matheus A. Tunes

摘要

Improving the accident tolerance of zirconium-based nuclear fuel claddings is essential to mitigate oxidation-driven hydrogen generation under loss-of-coolant conditions. Here, a nanostructured tantalum carbide (TaC) ceramic coating is deposited onto ZIRLO™ fuel cladding by non-reactive DC magnetron sputtering. The coating was systematically assessed with respect to its microstructural stability, irradiation tolerance, and corrosion behaviour. Characterisation of as-deposited coating confirms a dense, nanocrystalline B1-type TaC structure with excellent adhesion and negligible interdiffusion at the coating-substrate interface. In situ transmission electron microscopy with heavy-ion irradiation up to ~8 dpa reveals exceptional radiation resistance, with no evidence of amorphization, phase decomposition, or radiation-induced segregation. Limited grain coarsening and the formation of Xe bubbles (~2 nm) were observed. Electrochemical measurements in borated aqueous media demonstrated rapid passivation, very low corrosion current densities, and high impedance over prolonged exposure. These results identify nanostructured TaC as a robust and scalable candidate coating for accident-tolerant fuel cladding systems.