Nuclear Engineering and Technology

Korean Nuclear Society (한국원자력학회)
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FABRICATION OF ZrO2-BASED NANOCOMPOSITES FOR TRANSURANIC ELEMENT-BURNING INERT MATRIX FUEL

  • MISTARIHI, QUSAI (Department of Nuclear and Quantum Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) ;
  • UMER, MALIK A. (Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) ;
  • KIM, JOON HUI (Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) ;
  • HONG, SOON HYUNG (Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) ;
  • RYU, HO JIN (Department of Nuclear and Quantum Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology)
  • Received : 2015.01.05
  • Accepted : 2015.05.08
  • Published : 2015.10.25
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Abstract

$ZrO_2$-based composites reinforced with 6.5 vol.% of carbon foam, carbon fiber, and graphite were fabricated using spark plasma sintering, and characterized using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometry. Their thermal properties were also investigated. The microstructures of the reinforced composites showed that carbon fiber fully reacted with $ZrO_2$, whereas carbon foam and graphite did not. The carbothermal reaction of carbon fiber had a negative effect on the thermal properties of the reinforced $ZrO_2$ composites because of the formation of zirconium oxycarbide. Meanwhile, the addition of carbon foam had a positive effect, increasing the thermal conductivity from 2.86 to $3.38Wm^{-1}K^{-1}$ at $1,100^{\circ}C$. These findings suggest that the homogenous distribution and chemical stability of reinforcement material affect the thermal properties of $ZrO_2$-based composites.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

Supported by : KUSTAR-KAIST Institute

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