Erlangen 2026 – scientific programme

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P: Fachverband Plasmaphysik

P 22: Plasma Wall Interaction III

P 22.5: Talk

Friday, March 20, 2026, 10:15–10:30, KH 01.012

Fabrication of tungsten fibre-reinforced composites by combining Chemical Vapour Deposition and Field Assisted Sintering — •Patrick Scholz¹, Alexander Lau¹, Jan Willem Coenen¹, and Florian Kleemiß² — ¹Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institut of Fusion Energy and Nuclear Waste Managment - Plasmaphysics (IFN-1), Jülich 52425, Germany — ²Institut für Anorganische Chemie, RWTH Aachen, Landoltweg 1a, 52074 Aachen, Germany

Many promising materials for high-temperature or oxidizing environments, including chromium aluminium carbide (Cr₂AlC), titanium aluminium carbide (Ti₂AlC), and self-passivating metal alloys with reduced thermo-oxidation (SMART), are limited by their inherent brittleness, restricting their suitability as structural components. Tungsten fibre-reinforced tungsten has demonstrated that embedding ductile fibres in a brittle matrix can produce pseudo-ductile fracture behaviour below the ductile-to-brittle transition temperature (DBTT). To transfer this toughening concept to these alternative matrices, the tungsten fibres must be protected from direct interaction with embrittling species, particularly chromium and carbon. This work investigates sacrificial tungsten coatings deposited by chemical vapour deposition (CVD). These coatings act as controlled sinks for matrix ingress during sintering, ensuring that the fibres remain unaffected. The study focuses on determining the coating thickness required for reliable fibre incorporation into each matrix system and evaluating the resulting mechanical performance.

Keywords: Tungsten fibre; MAX-Phase; SMART Alloy; Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD); Field Assisted Sintering Technique (FAST)