Critical issues and current status of SiC/SiC composites for fusion

SiC fiber-reinforced SiC matrix composites (SiC/SiC) are being considered a s a candidate structural material for fusion reactors because of their low induced radioactivity by 14 MeV neutron irradiation and high-temperature st rength. Material development of SiC/SiC composites, including SiC fiber, ma trix and interphase processing for fusion reactor applications, has been un der investigation for several years. The purpose of this paper is to presen t an overview of current research in material development, properties and i rradiation response of new SiC/SiC composites. Several technologically crit ical issues to be solved for fusion applications, such as irradiation resis tance, thermal properties, environmental effects, hermeticity, joining tech nique and protective coating are also reviewed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B .V. All rights reserved.