Structural and corrosion properties of SiCâNiCr nanocomposite coating on Zr substrate in high temperature

Abstract

The present report describes the deposition of SiC-NiCr films on Zr substrates under an H₂ gas environment by plasma focusing (PF). Using the spark plasma sintering (SPS) method, the anode for the plasma focus device was made from SiC, Ni, and Chromium powders. X-ray diffraction (XRD) of SiC-NiCr samples shows a change in the position and intensity of the peaks in 1000⁰ C temperature compared to the XRD spectrum at room temperature (RT). The surface characteristics and structure of the synthesized coating were investigated with Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) at RT and 1000°C. According to the FESEM images, the average coating nanoparticles size increases from 58.2 nm to 326.6 nm, and the average coating thickness increases from 0.85 µm to 60.34 µm by increasing the temperature. At high temperatures, the sample's thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicates a reduction in corrosion rate from 3.25 to 0.22 mg/cm². The coating of Zr with a thin layer of SiC-NiCr is capable of preventing or reducing the possibility of hydrogen explosions in extreme conditions.