Abstract: A method of providing nuclear fuel cladding in a radioactive fuel reactor includes coating the nuclear fuel cladding with a coating system and exposing the nuclear fuel cladding in pure water at at least 360° C. and a saturation pressure of 18.7 MPa, where the coating system is maintained without spallation or delamination after at least 3 days. The coating system includes a multilayer coating on the substrate including (i) one or more layers including at least a ternary metal compound and at least a binary metal compound and (ii) a top coat layer that does not include aluminum, where the ternary metal compound includes TiCrN, TiNbN, TiSiN, TiHfN, TaHfN, TaNbN, TiCrC, TiNbC, TiSiC, TiHfC, TaHfC, TaNbC, TiCrCN, TiNbCN, TiSiCN, TiHfCN, TaHfCN, TaNbCN, or combinations thereof and the binary metal compound includes CrN, NbN, TaN, Si3N4, HfN, CrC, HfC, TaC, NbC or combinations thereof.

Abstract: Coating used for radioactive fuel or a structural component in radioactive fuel reactors, e.g., nuclear fuel cladding alloys, can include a ternary monolithic coating or multiple layers of one or more layers of TiAlN TiZrN, TiCrN, TiNbN and/or CrN, ZrN, NbN, TiN, TaN, HfN. TiHfN, TaHfN, TaNbN, or mixed combinations and/or CrN, ZrN, NbN, TiN, TaN, Si3N4, and/or HfN. In addition, one or more layers can be comprised of a nitride, oxide, or carbide or mixed combination (i.e., carbonides, oxynitrides, oxycarbides, etc.) from Ti, Al, Zr, Cr, Si, Nb, Hf, or mixed combination (i.e., TiAlC1-xNx). The multilayer coating can be doped with a dopant.