TEM/STEM observation of ZrC coating layer for the advanced high temperature gas-cooled reactor fuel

Aihara, Jun ; Ueta, Shohei   ; Yasuda, Atsushi; Ishibashi, Hideharu; Sawa, Kazuhiro; Motohashi, Yoshinobu*

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has started to study and develop ZrC coated fuel particles for advanced high temperature gas cooled reactors. The ZrC coating layers were fabricated with bromide process at JAEA. We report in this study the microstructures of the ZrC coating layers deposited in the second year of the project. We already reported the microstructure of the one deposited in the first year of the project last year. The ZrC coating layer deposited at lower temperatures contains less free carbons. The crystal grains of ZrC were columner in shape and oriented in the region containing less free carbons. The orientation was different from the one reported in the last year. In addition to the stoichiometry of the ZrC layer, the microstructure of PyC/ZrC boundary also depended on the deposition temperature. The fibrous carbon structure is observed at PyC/ZrC boundary when the ZrC layer is deposited at higher temperature but not when ZrC layer is deposited at lower temperature.