Tungsten coating prepared on V-4Cr-4Ti alloy substrate by electrodeposition from molten salt in air atmosphere

•Tungsten coatings were successfully electroplated on vanadium alloy substrate.•Tungsten coatings with various thicknesses were obtained.•Tungsten coating was electroplated with c low oxygen content.•High heat flux property of tungsten coatings on V-4Cr-4Ti substrate was investigated.•Helium ion irradiation property of tungsten coatings on V-4Cr-4Ti substrate was investigated.

Tungsten coatings were prepared by electrodeposition on vanadium alloy (V-4Cr-4Ti) substrate from Na2WO4-WO3 molten salt at 1173 K in atmosphere. The crystal structure, microstructure, microhardness, oxygen content of the coating as well as bond strength between coatings and substrates were investigated. Pure and compact tungsten coatings were successfully obtained with columnar structure. The tungsten coatings thickness is 505 μm and the oxygen weight ratio is 0.025 wt.%, when the electrodeposited time is 80 h. The tungsten coatings adhesive strength determined by tensile test exceeds 39.28 MPa.