The Fukushima accident in 2011 revealed some major flaws in traditional nuclear fuel materials under accidental conditions. Thus, the focus of research has shifted toward “accident tolerant fuel” (ATF). The aim of this approach is to develop fuel material solutions that lead to improved reactor safety. The application of protective coatings on the surface of nuclear fuel cladding has been proposed as a near-term solution within the ATF framework. Many coating materials are being developed and evaluated. In this article, an overview of different zirconium-based alloys currently in use in the nuclear industry is provided, and their performances in normal and accidental conditions are discussed. Coating materials proposed by different institutions and organizations, their performances under different conditions simulating nuclear reactor environments are reviewed. The strengths and weaknesses of these coatings are highlighted, and the challenges addressed by different studies are summarized, providing a basis for future research. Finally, technologies and methods used to synthesize thin-film coatings are outlined.

This study was conducted to prepare acrylic removable protective coatings by emulsion polymerization. Monomers used were n-butyl acrylate, acrylonitrile, butyl methacrylate. Emulsifiers used were sodium lauryl sulfate and polyoxyethylene lauryl ether, which are an anionic emulsifier and a nonionic emulsifier respectively. Potassium persulfate was used as an initiator and polyvinyl alcohol was used as a stabilizer. Emulsion polymerization was carried out in a semi-batch reactor at 70℃ and agitation speed was 200 rpm. Tensile strength, extension, peel strength, viscosity, and solid contents of the synthesized coatings were examined. The coatings prepared with BA:AN = 60:20 (in weight ratio) satisfied the standard for automobile in terms of extension and peel strength. When the concentration of BMA was in a range of 18~23 wt%, the prepared coatings satisfied the standard for automobile in terms of peel strength and water resistance.

Anti-oxidation coatings are the key technique for carbon/carbon (C/C) composites used as the thermal structural materials. The microstructure and oxidation behavior of several kinds of high-performance ceramic coatings for C/C composites prepared in Northwestern Polytechnical University were introduced in this paper. It showed that the ceramic coatings such as SiC, Si-MoSi2, SiC-MoSi2, Al2O3-mullite-SiC and SiC/yttrium silicate/glass coatings possessed excellent oxidation resistance at high temperatures, and some of these coatings were characterized with excellent thermal shock resistance. The SiC-MoSi2 coating system has the best oxidation protective property, which can effectively protect C/C composites from oxidation up to 1973 K. In addition, the protection and failure reasons of some coatings at high temperature were also provided.