Acid dissolution behavior of ferritic FeCrAl tubes candidates for nuclear fuel cladding.

The international materials community is engaged in finding safer alternatives to zirconium alloys for the cladding of fuel in light water reactors. One solution is to replace the zirconium cladding using ferritic iron-chromium-aluminum -FeCrAl- alloys, which offer extraordinary resistance to high temperature reaction with air or steam due to the formation of a protective alumina layer on the external surface. It is important to characterize the behavior of FeCrAl not only during accident conditions but in the entire fuel cycle, which may include reprocessing of the used fuel after it is removed from the power reactors. The reprocessing may involve the dissolution of the fuel rods in mineral acids. Little or nothing is known on the dissolution of FeCrAl alloys in common mineral acids, therefore the objective of this research was to study the dissolution of typical cladding tubing having two compositions of FeCrAl (APMT & C26M) in three acids (H2SO4, HNO3 & HCl) as a function of the temperature using both standard ASTM immersion tests as well as electrochemical tests. The dissolution behavior of the FeCrAl alloys is compared to the dissolution capability of other traditional nuclear materials such as austenitic stainless steels (304SS & 316SS) and austenitic nickel alloys (Alloy 600 and Hastelloy C-276). Results show that both C26M and APMT have a higher dissolution capability in the studied mineral acids, which will be beneficial for reprocessing procedures.

The Effect of Atomic Layer Deposited Overcoat on Co-Pt-Si/γ-Al2O3 Fischer–Tropsch Catalyst

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) was used to prepare a thin alumina layer on Fischer–Tropsch catalysts. Co-Pt-Si/γ-Al2O3 catalyst was overcoated with 15–40 cycles of Al2O3 deposited from trimethylaluminum (TMA) and water vapor, followed by thermal annealing. The resulting tailored Fischer–Tropsch catalyst with 35 cycle ALD overcoating had increased activity compared to unmodified catalyst. The increase in activity was achieved without significant loss of selectivity towards heavier hydrocarbons. Altered catalyst properties were assumed to result from cobalt particle stabilization by ALD alumina overcoating and nanoscale porosity of the overcoating. In addition to optimal thickness of the overcoat, thermal annealing was an essential part of preparing ALD overcoated catalyst.

STEM investigations of the influence of copper on alumina scale detachment during in-situ wetting experiments of Al-7Si-0.3Mg alloy with 95Sn-5Cu filler metal

Aluminum alloys have a strong tendency to form alumina layers on their surfaces when exposed to atmospheric air, even at room temperature. This is a severe challenge for brazing aluminum alloys as the alumina layer acts as a diffusion barrier and hinders the interactions between the filler metal and the base material. In order to achieve a good metallurgical bond between the filler metal and the aluminum alloy, it is of crucial importance to remove the alumina layer as well as to simultaneously prevent further oxidation of the aluminum alloy. The current investigation focuses on the detailed micro-structural changes that occur during in-situ brazing of liquid filler metal, 95Sn-5Cu (wt.%) on an aluminum alloy, Al-7Si-0.3Mg. These in-situ studies were performed in a large chamber scanning electron microscope in order to monitor the interactions of the filler metal and the base material, particularly the role of Cu on alumina detachment. After the in-situ experiments, the local surface and cross-sectional regions were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy in conjunction with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy to understand the variation in chemistry across the wetted region, which includes the interfacial region between filler metal and the base material. As the alumina scale present on the aluminum alloy is very thin (<50 nm), nanoscale characterization techniques such as transmission electron microscopy in scanning mode, including selected area electron diffraction for crystal structure determination, were performed. From this investigation, it was found that the Cu in liquid filler metal diffuses into the base material via the oxide layer, resulting in the formation of Al2Cu intermetallic precipitates.

High-Temperature Tribological Performance of Al2O3/a-C:H:Si Coating in Ambient Air

The study investigates thermal stability and high temperature tribological performance of a-C:H:Si diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating. A thin alumina layer was deposited on top of the a-C:H:Si coating to improve the tribological performance at high temperatures. The a-C:H:Si coating and alumina layer were prepared using plasma-activated chemical vapour deposition and atomic layer deposition, respectively. Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to investigate the structures and chemical compositions of the specimens. The D and G Raman peaks due to sp2 bonding and the peaks corresponding to the trans-polyacetylene (t-Pa) and sp bonded chains were identified in the Raman spectra of the a-C:H:Si coating. Ball-on-disc sliding tests were carried out at room temperature and 400 °C using Si3N4 balls as counter bodies. The a-C:H:Si coating failed catastrophically in sliding tests at 400 °C; however, a repeatable and reproducible regime of sliding with a low coefficient of friction was observed for the Al2O3/a-C:H:Si coating at the same temperature. The presence of the alumina layer and high stress and temperature caused structural changes in the bulk a-C:H:Si and top layers located near the contact area, leading to the modification of the contact conditions, delivering of extra oxygen into the contact area, reduction of hydrogen effusion, and suppression of the atmospheric oxidation.

Bonding Characteristics of Cold Sprayed Copper Coating on Alumina coated Q235 Steel Substrate

Cold spraying metallic coatings on ceramics (Ceramics Metallizing) are widely concerned in electrical industry due to its high density, low oxidation and high electrical conductivity. However, the bonding reliability of cold spraying coating on ceramics is usually considered to be poor since the metal particles don’t experience melting. The present paper is to exam the bonding quality of a cold spraying copper coating on a thermal sprayed alumina layer influenced by ceramics roughness and copper particle hardness. Pure copper coatings were successfully deposited on Al2O3 coated Q235 steel substrate with different roughness by cold spraying at 260 ℃ and 1.6 MPa using different hardness pure copper powders. The bonding quality and characteristics were studied by analyzing the surface, the cross-sectional microstructure of the coating and its interface after pull-off test. The results indicate that the high bonding quality (ranging from 8.26 MPa to 11.35 MPa) between copper coating and Al2O3 layer attributes to both metallurgical and interlock effect, which is mainly influenced by the hardness of the copper powders instead of Al2O3 surface roughness. The soft character of the pure copper powder makes it ready for deformation, subsequently interlocks with Al2O3, fills into the pores more completely, which increases the bonding quality between the copper coating and the Al2O3 layer.

In Situ Investigations on Stress and Microstructure Evolution in Polycrystalline Ti(C,N)/α-Al2O3 CVD Coatings under Thermal Cycling Loads

The stress behavior and the associated microstructure evolution of industrial Ti(C,N)/α-Al2O3 coatings subjected to thermal cycling are investigated by in situ energy dispersive synchrotron X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Temperature-dependent stresses and changes in microstructural parameters (domain size and microstrain) are analyzed by in situ measurements at different temperatures between 25 and 800 °C, both in the heating up and cooling down step, including several thermal cycles. Transmission electron microscopy is used to evaluate defects before and after the thermal treatment. The introduction of high compressive stresses in α-Al2O3 by top-blasting is connected to a high defect density at the basal planes of the alumina layer. The stress relaxation of the alumina layer at high temperatures is associated with a successive annihilation of defects until a reversible temperature-dependent stress condition is set. Top-blasting does not change the initial microstructure and residual stress of the Ti(C,N) layer. Ti(C,N) shows a cyclic stress behavior associated with the heat treatment and an elastic deformation behavior in the temperature range investigated.

Fabrication and Investigation on the Polyimide/Al2O3 Composite Films via Ion Exchange Technology

Polyimide/Al2O3 films were prepared by the surface modification with different hydrolysis time, ion exchange technique and heat treatment using polyimide films as the substrates and aluminum chloride as the precursor of Al2O3. The morphology, thermal properties and electrical properties of the composite films were characterized and tested. The results indicated the alumina distributed in certain thickness on the surface of the films and there was a clear interface layer between the alumina layer and the substrate. The breakdown strength of the composite films maintains the excellent properties of the pristine film while the thermal and corona-resistant time properties of composite films were better than the pristine film due to introducing aluminum oxide. The composite film which used KOH to treat for 90 min has the longest corona-resistant time (101.2 min), which was almost 10 times longer than the pristine film.

Alumina-Forming Austenitic (AFA) steels and aluminium-based coating on 15-15 Ti steel to limit mechanical damage in presence of liquid lead-bismuth eutectic and liquid lead

To limit corrosion of the steels in contact with liquid metal (Pb or Pb-Bi), both different solutions based on the presence of alumina at the surface of the steels were selected: 2 Alumina-Forming Austenitic (AFA) steels and the 15-15 Ti steel coated by alumina layer. These technical options to mitigate corrosion by lead or Pb-Bi were investigated in terms of mechanical performances in liquid lead or liquid Pb-Bi. So the liquid metal embrittlement (LME) sensitivity of the different materials selected for their good corrosion resistance was evaluated by tensile tests or small punch tests carried out in presence of liquid metal, and by post-mortem analysis of the cracking and of the fracture surfaces. No LME sensitivity for the tested conditions has been observed for the Al2O3 coated 15-15Ti steel and for the two AFA steels (16Ni-14Cr-2.5Al-2.5Mn-1Nb), one without and one with 2% wt.% W and 0.02% wt.% Y in their as received state. But a 650 °C thermal aging promotes modifications of the microstructure specially precipitations and then LME sensitivity of the AFA steels, according the nature of the precipitation.

Direct Growth of Carbon Nanotubes on Aluminum Foil by Atmospheric Pressure Microwave Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition

This paper is about the research that carbon nanotubes (CNTs) grow on aluminum foils without additional catalysts by atmospheric pressure microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (AMPCVD) with the precursor of argon-hydrogen-ethanol. At different temperatures, a series of experiments that CNTs grow on aluminum foils were done with and without the alumina layer. The EDS results showed that iron impurities in aluminum foils catalyze the growth of CNTs. By measurements of SEM and HRTEM, tens of microns long and multi-walled CNTs are grown. The CNTs’ content in the sample changes more with the increase in temperature. The Raman measuring shows that CNTs have fewer defects with higher temperature. Finally, by measurements of EDS mapping and XRD on aluminum foil, the growth mechanism of CNTs was discussed.