Preparation of coated Li2TiO3 and Li4SiO4 pebbles by fluidized bed chemical vapor deposition for advanced tritium breeders

Abstract Lithium-based ceramic tritium breeders would attack the blanket structural materials and produce brittle corrosion layers, causing potential safety hazard. Herein, coated breeders were proposed as advanced tritium breeders to address the issue. Carbon (C), titanium nitride (TiN) and titanium carbide (TiC) were investigated as inert protective shells because they show excellent stability and chemical compatibility with Li2TiO3 and Li4SiO4. Moreover, for the first time, the C and TiN coated Li2TiO3 and Li4SiO4 pebbles were successfully fabricated by fluidized bed chemical vapor deposition (FBCVD) process, which would significantly decrease the brittle corrosion layers and increase the safety. The deposition behavior and interface reactions were systemically investigated.