Nuclear fuel structures and methods for fabricating are disclosed herein. The nuclear fuel structure includes a plurality of fibers arranged in the structure and a multilayer fuel region within at least one fiber of the plurality of fibers. The multilayer fuel region includes an inner layer region made of a nuclear fuel material, and an outer layer region encasing the nuclear fuel material. A plurality of discrete multilayer fuel regions may be formed over a core region along the at least one fiber, the plurality of discrete multilayer fuel regions having a respective inner layer region of nuclear fuel material and a respective outer layer region encasing the nuclear fuel material. The plurality of fibers may be wrapped around an inner rod or tube structure or inside an outer tube structure of the nuclear fuel structure, providing both structural support and the nuclear fuel material of the nuclear fuel structure.

Disclosed is a method of coating a high temperature fiber including depositing a base material on the high temperature fiber using atomic layer deposition, depositing an intermediate material precursor on the base material using molecular layer deposition, depositing a top material on the intermediate material precursor or the intermediate layer using atomic layer deposition, and heat treating the intermediate precursor. The intermediate material in the final coating includes a structural defect, has lower density than the top material or a combination thereof. Also disclosed are the coated high temperature fiber and a composite including the high temperature fiber.

This invention provides resin formulations which may be used for 3D printing and pyrolyzing to produce a ceramic matrix composite. The resin formulations contain a solid-phase filler, to provide high thermal stability and mechanical strength (e.g., fracture toughness) in the final ceramic material. The invention provides direct, free-form 3D printing of a preceramic polymer loaded with a solid-phase filler, followed by converting the preceramic polymer to a 3D-printed ceramic matrix composite with potentially complex 3D shapes or in the form of large parts. Other variations provide active solid-phase functional additives as solid-phase fillers, to perform or enhance at least one chemical, physical, mechanical, or electrical function within the ceramic structure as it is being formed as well as in the final structure. Solid-phase functional additives actively improve the final ceramic structure through one or more changes actively induced by the additives during pyrolysis or other thermal treatment.

A method of fabricating a part out of composite material, includes forming a fiber texture from refractory fibers; impregnating the fiber texture for a first time with a first slip containing first refractory particles; eliminating the liquid phase from the first slip so as to leave within the texture only the first refractory particles; impregnating the fiber texture for a second time with a second slip containing second refractory particles; eliminating the liquid phase from the second slip so as to leave within the texture only the second refractory particles and obtain a fiber preform filled with the first and second refractory particles; and sintering the first and second refractory particles present in the fiber preform in order to form a refractory matrix in the preform.

Disclosed herein are embodiments of systems and method for processing feedstock materials using microwave plasma processing. Specifically, the feedstock materials disclosed herein pertain to metal powders. Microwave plasma processing can be used to spheroidize the metal powders and form metal nitride or metal carbide powders. The stoichiometry of the metal nitride or metal carbide powders can be controlled by changing the composition of the plasma gas and the residence time of the feedstock materials during plasma processing.

Disclosed is a method of coating a high temperature fiber including depositing a base material on the high temperature fiber using atomic layer deposition, depositing an intermediate material precursor on the base material using molecular layer deposition, depositing a top material on the intermediate material precursor or the intermediate layer using atomic layer deposition, and heat treating the intermediate precursor. The intermediate material in the final coating includes a structural defect, has lower density than the top material or a combination thereof. Also disclosed are the coated high temperature fiber and a composite including the high temperature fiber.

The present disclosure relates to an oxidation-induced shape memory fiber comprising a tension-bearing core material and/or a tension-bearing core material coated with an antioxidative coating, and an oxidizable pressure-bearing coating. The oxidizable pressure-bearing coating is coated outside the tension-bearing core material and/or the tension-bearing core material coated with an antioxidative coating; the oxidizable pressure-bearing coating is in compressive stress state and/or the tension-bearing core material coated with an antioxidative coating and the oxidizable pressure-bearing coating are in tension-compression balance state. The disclosure also relates to preparation and application thereof, the preparation is: reserving anchoring end, exerting tension force on tension-bearing core material and/or tension-bearing core material coated with an antioxidative coating, followed by coating oxidizable pressure-bearing coating thereon. The oxidation-induced shape memory fiber is applicable to high temperature oxidation environment.

There is provided a coral-like composite material comprising highly dispersed conductive metal nitride, metal carbide or metal carbonitride nanoparticles on mesoporous carbon nanosheets, and a method of preparing the same. There is also provided a coating material for a modified separator of a lithium-sulfur battery comprising the coral-like composite material as described herein, a conducting carbon material and a binder, and a method of preparing the same.

This invention provides resin formulations which may be used for 3D printing and pyrolyzing to produce a ceramic matrix composite. The resin formulations contain a solid-phase filler, to provide high thermal stability and mechanical strength (e.g., fracture toughness) in the final ceramic material. The invention provides direct, free-form 3D printing of a preceramic polymer loaded with a solid-phase filler, followed by converting the preceramic polymer to a 3D-printed ceramic matrix composite with potentially complex 3D shapes or in the form of large parts. Other variations provide active solid-phase functional additives as solid-phase fillers, to perform or enhance at least one chemical, physical, mechanical, or electrical function within the ceramic structure as it is being formed as well as in the final structure. Solid-phase functional additives actively improve the final ceramic structure through one or more changes actively induced by the additives during pyrolysis or other thermal treatment.

This invention provides resin formulations which may be used for 3D printing and pyrolyzing to produce a ceramic matrix composite. The resin formulations contain a solid-phase filler, to provide high thermal stability and mechanical strength (e.g., fracture toughness) in the final ceramic material. The invention provides direct, free-form 3D printing of a preceramic polymer loaded with a solid-phase filler, followed by converting the preceramic polymer to a 3D-printed ceramic matrix composite with potentially complex 3D shapes or in the form of large parts. Other variations provide active solid-phase functional additives as solid-phase fillers, to perform or enhance at least one chemical, physical, mechanical, or electrical function within the ceramic structure as it is being formed as well as in the final structure. Solid-phase functional additives actively improve the final ceramic structure through one or more changes actively induced by the additives during pyrolysis or other thermal treatment.