Structure, composition, thermal and radiation shielding properties of the isostatic hot-pressed composites based on tungsten and graphene-like carbon
Д.И. Тишкевич, Ihar Razanau, S.A. German, A.A. Rotkovich, T. N. Vershinina, А. L. Zhaludkevich, Uladzimir Novikau, В. А. Ломоносов, Pavel Vasyutchanka, Anastasia A. Bondaruk, M.I. Sayyed, Dinislam Khuzin, Sergey V. Trukhanov, T.I. Zubar, А.В. Труханов
Abstract
The fabrication, structure, and properties of bulk composites of metallic tungsten with low-defect graphene nanoplatelets are reported for the first time. Composite samples were prepared by rapid hot isostatic pressing of tungsten powder with graphene-like carbon (GLC) produced via a nonoxidative graphite chemical intercalation–exfoliation technique. Sintering was conducted at 5 GPa and 1500 °C for 3 min, with initial GLC contents ranging from 0.1 to 1.0 wt%. The addition of GLC significantly decreases tungsten oxidation during sintering. Tungsten carbide was also found to form during sintering. Measurements of thermal transport properties using the light flash method revealed a 4- to 6-fold decrease in thermal diffusivity for the composites relative to GLC-free sintered tungsten. Calculations of gamma radiation shielding efficiency in the 0.826–2.506 MeV range showed that the composites outperform lead (Pb) in this regard. W–GLC composites are therefore promising for gamma radiation shielding applications that also require thermal protection, such as high-temperature nuclear environments, where minimizing heat transfer to surrounding components is critical.