Abstract
Tungsten fiber-reinforced tungsten (Wf/W) composites are being developed to improve the intrinsic brittleness of tungsten. In these composites, engineered fiber/matrix interfaces are crucial in order to realize toughening mechanisms. For such a purpose, yttria (Y2O3), being one of the suitable interface materials, could be realized through different coating techniques. In this study, the deposition of thin films of yttria on a 150 µm tungsten wire by physical and chemical vapor deposition (PVD and CVD) techniques is comparatively investigated. Although fabrication of yttria is feasible through both CVD and PVD routes, certain coating conditions such as temperature, growth rate, oxidation of Wf, etc., decide the qualitative nature of a coating to a particular extent. In the case of PVD, the oxidation of Wf is highly reduced compared to the WO3 formation in high-temperature CVD coating processes. Yttria-coated tungsten fibers are examined comprehensively to characterize their microstructure, phase, and chemical composition using SEM, XRD, and Raman spectroscopy techniques, respectively.
Highlights
Fusion energy is an attractive option when searching for potential sources of energy, due to its virtually inexhaustible supply of fuel and its guarantee of minimal adverse environmental impacts [1]
Upon analyzing the microstructure of the Chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-coated fibers, it was observed that Y2O3 was homogeneously coated on the fibers in both of the two experimental strategies with varied gas flow parameters
A comparative study on the fabrication and characterization of Y2O3 coatings on Wf through PVD and CVD routes is presented in this article
Summary
Fusion energy is an attractive option when searching for potential sources of energy, due to its virtually inexhaustible supply of fuel and its guarantee of minimal adverse environmental impacts [1]. In addition to issues related to plasma physics, one of the unanswered concerns is the power and particle exhaust of a fusion reactor, and the material issues related to the plasma-facing materials (PFM) [2,3]. High heat loads and large numbers of neutrons cause recrystallization, melting, and displacement damage, which impact the actual microstructure of the material [5]. Tungsten is a suitable PFM since it is resilient against sputtering, has the highest melting point of any metal, and shows rather benign behavior under neutron irradiation [7]. Tungsten faces several problems that have yet to be resolved: room temperature brittleness, overall low fracture resistance, neutron irradiation embrittlement, and recrystallization [8,9]
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