Oxidation behavior and microstructural evolution of Cr coatings prepared by multi-arc ion plating on Zry-4 in steam environments up to 1400 °C

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the multi-arc ion plating method in depositing Cr coatings on Zry-4 substrate and to study the oxidation behavior and microstructural evolution of the Cr coatings in steam environments up to 1400 ℃. The results showed that the Cr-coated sample exhibited excellent high-temperature resistance at 1100-1200 ℃, but accelerated oxidation occurred at 1300 ℃, leading to the formation of bubbles and voids in the Cr2O3 layer and the development of a new Cr-Zr-O layer between the residual Cr layer and the ZrCr2 layer. At 1400 ℃, the coating failed completely. These findings provide valuable insights into the oxidation behavior and degradation mechanism of Cr-coated zirconium alloys under accident conditions. The novelty of this study lies in the investigation of the microstructural evolution and failure mechanism of Cr coatings on Zry-4 using multi-arc ion plating method in high-temperature steam environments, which has not been extensively explored in previous research.