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MoSe is Tungsten Carbide structured and crystallizes in the hexagonal P-6m2 space group. The structure is three-dimensional. Mo2+ is bonded to six equivalent Se2- atoms to form a mixture of distorted edge, corner, and face-sharing MoSe6 pentagonal pyramids. All Mo–Se bond lengths are 2.62 Å. Se2- is bonded in a 6-coordinate geometry to six equivalent Mo2+ atoms.
YbBr is Tungsten Carbide structured and crystallizes in the hexagonal P-6m2 space group. The structure is three-dimensional. Yb is bonded in a 6-coordinate geometry to six equivalent Br atoms. All Yb–Br bond lengths are 3.11 Å. Br is bonded to six equivalent Yb atoms to form a mixture of distorted corner, edge, and face-sharing BrYb6 pentagonal pyramids.
LuTe is Tungsten Carbide structured and crystallizes in the hexagonal P-6m2 space group. The structure is three-dimensional. Lu is bonded to six equivalent Te atoms to form a mixture of distorted edge, face, and corner-sharing LuTe6 pentagonal pyramids. All Lu–Te bond lengths are 3.06 Å. Te is bonded to six equivalent Lu atoms to form a mixture of distorted edge, face, and corner-sharing TeLu6 pentagonal pyramids.
HfS is Tungsten Carbide structured and crystallizes in the hexagonal P-6m2 space group. The structure is three-dimensional. Hf is bonded to six equivalent S atoms to form a mixture of distorted corner, edge, and face-sharing HfS6 pentagonal pyramids. All Hf–S bond lengths are 2.61 Å. S is bonded to six equivalent Hf atoms to form a mixture of distorted corner, edge, and face-sharing SHf6 pentagonal pyramids.
PuCl is Tungsten Carbide structured and crystallizes in the hexagonal P-6m2 space group. The structure is three-dimensional. Pu is bonded in a 6-coordinate geometry to six equivalent Cl atoms. All Pu–Cl bond lengths are 3.04 Å. Cl is bonded in a 6-coordinate geometry to six equivalent Pu atoms.
Sb2F11HF2 is Tungsten Carbide structured and crystallizes in the triclinic P-1 space group. The structure is zero-dimensional and consists of one hydrogen fluoride hydrogen fluoride molecule and one Sb2F11 cluster. In the Sb2F11 cluster, Sb is bonded to six F atoms to form corner-sharing SbF6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles are 0°. There are a spread of Sb–F bond distances ranging from 1.89–2.08 Å. There are six inequivalent F sites. In the first F site, F is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one Sb atom. In the second F site, F is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one Sb atom. In the third F site, F is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one Sb atom. In the fourth F site, F is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one Sb atom. In the fifth F site, F is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one Sb atom. In the sixth F site, F is bonded in a linear geometry to two equivalent Sb atoms.
The DOE has research interest in new technologies for high temperature concentrated solar power plants. Our project this summer was to explore the use of additively manufactured ultra-high-temperature ceramics in a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger would transfer heat between a molten chloride salt and supercritical CO 2 . We selected 22 compositions to test and were able to mix 14 of these compositions. We sintered these compositions using pressureless sintering and direct current sintering. We also conducted high temperature TGA on some ceramic samples. We also performed preliminary binder jet additive manufacturing trials with tungsten carbide powder. Our work so far points towards one of our titanium diboride samples being promising, but much more research needs to be done.
This report describes a collaborative project to develop a validated, predictive model for the high temperature mechanical properties of a titanium-matrix, tungsten-carbide/cobalt-reinforced metal matrix composite. The modeling approach was to first develop a detailed, microstructural model linking the material structure and the interfacial debonding properties to the effective properties of the material. The project then completed a throughput simulation campaign to generate a large number of simulations for discrete microstructures and different debonding parameters. Finally, the project trained a fast, Gaussian process surrogate model against this simulation database to provide a quick model linking the material compositions, structure, and processing parameters to the resulting material properties. This model was validated against high temperature tensile test data on a few particular composite compositions. The tests validate the model predictions for ultimate tensile strength and uniform elongation/ductility, meaning the final surrogate model can now be used to tune the material composition and processing parameters to identify optimal composite compositions for particular applications.
All-nitride semiconductor/superconductor heterojunctions utilizing cubic niobium nitride (NbN) are a promising approach to superconducting quantum circuits for next-generation quantum-information systems. However, there are fundamental open questions on the atomic structure of NbN. In calculations with several levels of density functional theory (DFT), we find that the cubic rocksalt structure NbN (Fm-3m, 225) is energetically very unstable against the ground state hexagonal NbN in a tungsten carbide (P-6m2, 187) type lattice. To better understand the appearance of a cubic phase in numerous experiments, we perform a DFT study on possible NbN structures, determining the energy ordering between different polymorphs from databases and structure prediction. We perform supercell calculations of disordered NbN, finding that the rocksalt structure is dynamically unstable and relaxes to a lower energy monoclinic phase (C2/m, 12), which retains an approximate average cubic symmetry. However, the associated energy gain is not substantial enough for a plausible explanation for cubic NbN. We further investigate the role of external factors such as in-plane strain during epitaxial growth as well as the presence of off-stoichiometry and impurity doping on the energy ordering.
This work investigates the design criteria considering thermal, structural, and material selection of a ternary chloride (MgCl2-NaCl-KCl) molten salt pump that is capable of running at temperatures above 720 °C. In this work, preliminary testing of salt-wetted hydrodynamic bearings was done to investigate different material pairings including Colmonoy grades, Stellite grades, and a novel Nickel Tungsten Carbide alloy (HybrimetTM NiWC3b) used as a High Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF) coating. The coating has shown to withstand the corrosive nature of the molten salt. The pump wetted components are made of Inconel 625 and features a carbon ring seal (CIRPAC Seal) flooded with a N2 gas flow on the overhead to keep salt vapors from interacting with the external ambient air. A comprehensive pump test program has been completed. Over 90 hours run time pumping hot chloride salts at temperatures up to 720 °C in which enough data was captured to produce performance curves at 3 different operating speeds. This research showcases a promising design for use in the Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Gen 3 liquid-pathway and sets the ground for further development and use of the HybrimetTM NiWC3b as a competitive alternative to available superalloys.
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Four monoblocks coming from one ITER-like plasma-facing unit from the Q3B sector of the lower divertor, named as monoblock (MB)3, MB9, MB20, and MB30, were exposed to the deuterium and helium plasma mixture during the C3 (2018) and C4 (2019) campaigns of the Tungsten Environment in Steady-state Tokamak (WEST), followed by a detailed ex-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy investigation. The surface and in-depth chemistry of the tungsten monoblocks indicated the formation of a re-deposited mixture in the deposition-dominated area of the divertor, thicker than 218 and 172 nm for MB3 and MB9, respectively. The redeposition layer was dominated by a mixture of boron carbides accompanied by tungsten carbides in MB3, while in MB9, the redeposition layer was dominated by tungsten borides. The remaining two monoblocks, MB20 and MB30, were collected from the erosion region and showed similar chemical behavior with a blended mixture of oxidized and metallic tungsten followed by boron carbides within a 50 nm depth range. Boron fixation in the layers is an expected consequence of the boronizations used during the operation, but the chemical status of redeposited elements was characterized for the first time in this work.
Abstract The formation of helium bubbles and subsequent property degradation poses a significant challenge to tungsten as a plasma-facing material in future long-pulse plasma-burning fusion reactors. In this study, we investigated helium bubble formation in dispersion-strengthened tungsten doped with transition metal carbides, including TaC, ZrC, and TiC. Of the three dispersoids, TaC exhibited the highest resistance to helium bubble formation, possibly due to the low vacancy mobility in the Group VB metal carbide and oxide phases. Under identical irradiation conditions, large helium bubbles formed at grain boundaries in tungsten, while no bubbles were observed at the interfaces between the carbide dispersoid and tungsten matrix. Moreover, our results showed the interfaces could suppress helium bubble formation in the nearby tungsten matrix, suggesting that the interfaces are more effective in trapping helium as tiny clusters. Our research provided new insights into optimizing the microstructure of dispersion-strengthened tungsten alloys to enhance their performance.
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As the US fusion materials community awaits the selection and design of a fusion prototypical neutron source (FPNS), a risk reduction exercise has been conducted to (i) provide an updated materials performance evaluation using state-of-the-art computational materials modeling, (ii) expand on legacy analysis based on pure Fe to other relevant fusion structural materials types, and (iii) ensure that materials response under FPNS operational conditions is consistent with referential fusion reactor conditions. The current paper describes the efforts undertaken to assemble a comprehensive computational methodology that includes neutronics, primary damage calculations, atomistic simulations of displacement cascades, chemical inventory evolution calculations, and a computational thermodynamic analysis of emerging phases during irradiation. Our work extends existing studies in pure Fe to reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic steels, tungsten, silicon carbide, and vanadium alloys. We focus on the single-beam deuteron/lithium-stripping neutron source behind the IFMIF-DONES concept, which we assess against ITER, two DEMO designs, and an ideal pure 14-MeV flux. Our analysis indicates that, within standard uncertainties inherent to the models employed, the DONES concept adequately captures fusion conditions in the four materials analyzed. Our work is intended as a comprehensive irradiation damage analysis of fusion-representative neutron sources, to be used for further neutron source evaluation and fusion facility operation.
Characterization and testing of advanced plasma-facing materials (PFMs) for Fusion Pilot Plants (FPP) is being conducted at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility through the ongoing two-year FPP Candidate Materials Thrust. Year one tested 17 novel materials utilizing the Divertor Materials Evaluation System (DiMES), with samples analyzed pre- and post-experiment via SEM, EDS, and confocal microscopy. Repeatable reference discharges were developed to ensure uniformity between experiments, including a new strike-point rastering scenario to provide more uniform heat/particle flux across DiMES during ELMing H-mode discharges. Various sample geometries and temperatures were used to achieve FPP-relevant conditions, including samples angled 10° towards the incident plasma flux and pre-heating up to 500 °C. The first exposure of liquid lithium (Li) capillary porous structures in a tokamak demonstrated uniform emission of Li vapor and suppression of Li droplets in H-mode when preheated to 350 °C. Dispersoid-strengthened W with 1 wt% TaC, TiC, and ZrC exposed to H-mode showed cracking and dispersoid ejection for all varieties except TiC, providing a clear down-selection. Ultra-high temperature ceramic materials TiB 2 and ZrB 2 showed minimal degradation under L-mode exposure. Silicon carbide (SiC) fiber composites showed arcing along edges, while CVD SiC remained pristine. Atmospheric plasma-sprayed W and SiC coatings endured H-mode exposure without macroscopic delamination; SiC exhibited granular ejection, while W showed increased outgassing. Additional W-based alloys were stress tested in H-mode, including Ni-based W heavy alloys, W f SiC f /W composites, W multi-principle element alloys, and functionally-graded W/SiC, to varying degrees of success.
TiSe is Tungsten Carbide-like structured and crystallizes in the hexagonal P6_3/mmc space group. The structure is three-dimensional. Ti2+ is bonded to six equivalent Se2- atoms to form a mixture of distorted corner and edge-sharing TiSe6 pentagonal pyramids. All Ti–Se bond lengths are 2.64 Å. Se2- is bonded to six equivalent Ti2+ atoms to form a mixture of corner, edge, and face-sharing SeTi6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles are 44°.
VP1 is Tungsten Carbide-like structured and crystallizes in the hexagonal P6_3/mmc space group. The structure is three-dimensional. V3+ is bonded to six equivalent P3- atoms to form a mixture of face, edge, and corner-sharing VP6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles are 45°. All V–P bond lengths are 2.40 Å. P3- is bonded to six equivalent V3+ atoms to form a mixture of distorted edge and corner-sharing PV6 pentagonal pyramids.