Issue 18, 2024

A self-organized sandwich structure of chromium nitride for ultra-long lifetime in liquid sodium

Abstract

The development of fast neutron reactors with improved efficiency and sustainability, being a tangible solution to the large-scale utilization of nuclear energy, serves as a critical step prior to the commercialization of fusion energy. These reactors use liquid metal coolants, which can weaken the durability of metallic components. Conventional design of protective coatings counts upon thermodynamics, which often overlooks the kinetic factors such as structural evolutions, resulting in deteriorated coating properties. Herein, we present a novel interface-engineering strategy involving the control of the phase transformation direction and interface diffusion reaction. Through iterations of self-organization, desired surfaces and interfaces can be achieved for materials used in harsh environments. Specifically, a CrN-coated steel sample with an interfacial Cr layer was designed and fabricated. After ultra-long (up to 6000 h) immersion in liquid sodium, the CrN/Cr coating structure was converted into a sandwich Cr2N/CrN/Cr2N structure dynamically. As a consequence, the coating system exhibited enhanced properties, namely increased surface hardness (by ∼36%), reduced coefficient of friction (by ∼13%), and enhanced interfacial adhesion (by ∼37%). Thus, the proposed strategy can guide the future design of robust coatings with ultra-long service life in harsh environments.

Graphical abstract: A self-organized sandwich structure of chromium nitride for ultra-long lifetime in liquid sodium

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
03 Jun 2024
Accepted
18 Jun 2024
First published
20 Jun 2024

Mater. Horiz., 2024,11, 4359-4366

A self-organized sandwich structure of chromium nitride for ultra-long lifetime in liquid sodium

M. Lou, R. Chen, K. Xu, J. Pu and K. Chang, Mater. Horiz., 2024, 11, 4359 DOI: 10.1039/D4MH00698D

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements