Protective Mo and Fe Coatings by CS and RF-ICP for PbLi Coolant Environments in Generation IV Fission Reactors

Lead, lead–bismuth, and lead–lithium are candidate materials for liquid metal-based cooling media in the new generation of nuclear fission reactors and fusion systems. Despite the many benefits they offer, they also trigger a severe degradation of the structural steels in direct contact. One of the solutions to minimize the damage could be a deposition of thick, long-life protective coatings onto the steel surfaces. In our opening study, we have employed CS and RF-ICP technologies to deposit Mo and Fe coatings onto ferritic-martensitic type 9% Cr Eurofer-97 steel and its ODS variant, and tested them in the liquid PbLi environment at 600 °C for up to 1000 h. The results have shown that all coatings prevented the dissolution of the steels. On top of that, the Fe coatings also completely prevented the PbLi penetration, thereby providing a promising complex resistance to the corrosive medium.