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Functional micromaterials and layered nanostructured systems as promising protective elements for nuclear/fusion energy industry.


Work number - M 26 FILED

Presented National Technical University "Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute"

Authors:
1. KONOTOPSKYI Leonid Yevgenovych - PhD in Physics and Mathematics, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Physics of Metals and Semiconductors, NTU "KhPI"
2. SUROVYTSKIY Serhii Viktorovych - Junior Researcher at the Department of Physics of Metals and Semiconductors, NTU "KhPI"
3. MINAKOVA Kseniia Oleksandrivna - PhD in Physics and Mathematics, Associate Professor at the Department of Physics, NTU "KhPI"

The authors worked on solving an important world-level scientific problem and a problem within the priority directions of the development of science in Ukraine, related to the creation of new functionally active materials, smart structures for the needs of nuclear and thermonuclear energy. For the first time in the world, the authors conducted comprehensive experimental studies of physical phenomena and parameters of kinetic processes, structural and stress changes in semiconductor and quasi-crystalline film systems, an compounds, in particular, state switching between high and low electrical conductivity during interaction with pulsed electromagnetic radiation, as well as hydrogen plasma of ITER.

During the execution of the work, physical foundations were created for the development of protection elements for nuclear and thermonuclear energy. Thin-film Ti-Zr-Ni quasi-crystal systems on the steel surface of the first wall of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor ITER can protect against overheating and hydrogen embrittlement. The revealed new physical regularities in the behavior of these systems and half-Heusler compounds under the influence of powerful plasma and ion flows in a wide range of corpuscular and energy loads will be important for the development of numerous scientific directions, where the behavior of materials in extreme conditions is studied. The obtained scientific results will open for Ukrainian scientists the possibility of close cooperation with European and American partners in the field of reactor materials science, space research and plasma studies.

The new knowledge gained in the work will be used to create new materials with improved physical and mechanical properties for nuclear and thermonuclear energy.

It is known that the planned shutdown of the reactor unit, for example, to carry out flaw detection of the turbine blades, requires large expenditures of state funds. Therefore, any extension of the service life of the reactor elements can significantly reduce the financial costs of the state. The Ukrainian Nuclear Society is discussing the possibility of extending the service life of elements and reactors up to 40 years, which can help solve many problems in the energy sector. The use of quasi-crystalline coatings and half-Heusler compounds with low thermal conductivity on the blades of steam turbines already helps to avoid problems of condensation and cavitation, maintaining high efficiency and duration of operation. The introduction of quasi-crystalline smart coatings can be economically beneficial. Their application to improve the efficiency of the ITER reactor at the suggestion of Ukrainian specialists can have a significant social impact in scientific circles and strengthen the value of the EUROfusion-Ukraine program.

Number of publications: 1 monograph, 1 chapter in monographs, 15 publications indexed in Scopus and/or WoS (15 of them in journals with an impact factor), 2 articles in professional scientific journals, 1 Ukrainian patent for a utility model, 21 conference abstracts. The total citation index of publications in the Scopus database is 42, h-index – 23; in the Web of Science database – 4, h-index – 6; in the Google Scholar database – 35, h-index – 24.

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