SiC composite and multifunctional coatings research at UKAEA

This presentation will introduce the work being conducted in the non-metallics team at UKAEA, with a focus on silicon carbide composites and multifunctional coatings. There will also be an introduction to future work in the non-metallics team around SiC composite manufacturing, radiation shielding, and radiation-resistant electronic devices.SiC composites are a candidate structural material being considered for future fusion power plant designs, owing to their high temperature capability enabling more versatile energy production as well as stability under high dose neutron irradiation. Topics will cover a range of length-scales from atomistic modelling of defects including interactions of point defects and transmutation products, micromechanical testing, and TEM of radiation effects in SiC fibres and SiC matrix. Multifunctional coatings are required in regions such as the breeder blanket and tritium extraction system to reduce permeation of tritium while also resisting liquid metal corrosion. Ceramic oxides such as erbia are good candidates for permeation barriers while refractory metals such as tungsten show promising resistance to liquid metal corrosion. This presentation will discuss hydrogen retention and irradiation performance of a range of ceramic and metallic coating materials.