Interface evolution and corrosion performance of (TiTaNbZrNi)N HEA coatings with a hybrid architecture under 6 MeV Au-ion irradiation

The coating structure design strategy is one of the important ways to improve the resistance to irradiation damage and corrosion resistance of the accident tolerant fuel (ATF) coating. In this work, the interface evolution and anti-corrosion of the (TiTaNbZrNi)N hybrid structure coating with nu = 1 sccm/min under the irradiation of 6 MeV Au-ions with fluences of 5.8 x 10 15 ion/cm(2) were investigated. The irradiation results showed that the (TiTaNbZrNi)Nx sublayer of the (TiTaNbZrNi)N hybrid coating disappeared after irradiation, and the three-phase interface of (TiTaNbZrNi)N, (TiTaNbZrNi)Nx and TiTaNbZrNi was transformed into two phase interface of (TiTaNbZrNi)N and TiTaNbZrNi. Moreover, the autoclave corrosion test results indicated that the unirradiated and irradiated coatings have stable FCC structures after corrosion test, and the irradiated coating exhibits lower oxygen penetration depth and better corrosion resistance. The evolution of the coating interface caused by irradiation has a significant impact on the corrosion performance of the coating. This work reveals that the interface evolution of the hybrid structure induced by radiation is beneficial to improve the corrosion resistance of the coating, which has potential application in light water reactor. (C) 2022 Published by Elsevier B.V.