Ion irradiation tolerance of TiSiN nanocomposite coating

Transition metal nitrides coatings have attracted extensive interests as radiation tolerant coating to separate the fuel and cladding in gas cooled fast reactor in recent years. This paper mainly focused on the influence of He+ ion irradiation on microstructure and mechanical properties of TiSiN coatings as a function of grain size. The results showed that amorphous layer on the top of TiSiN layer has been formed in the post-irradiated coatings and lead to an obvious decrease in hardness and Young modulus.