TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY: MoltenClad

The Los Alamos National Laboratory is offering a technology licensing opportunity for MoltenClad, a first-of-its-kind capability to deposit dense, uniform metallic coatings onto nuclear fuel pellets using molten salt electrodeposition. This technology addresses the limitations of conventional coating approaches and provides a scalable and adaptable coating platform for advanced reactor fuels and accident-tolerant fuel concepts. The advantages of MoltenClad include full-surface coverage, substrate compatibility, tunable coating properties, neutron transparency, multi-metal versatility, and dense, adherent coatings. The market applications for this technology include advanced nuclear reactors, defense and national security, aerospace, nuclear fuel manufacturing, and research and isotope production. • The technology is compatible with a range of refractory metals and salt chemistries, allowing coating properties to be tuned for specific operating environments. • The electrochemical process avoids harsh chemical precursors that can leach or corrode an actinide substrate. • The technique extends beyond zirconium, with other refractory metals such as tantalum, tungsten, and molybdenum potentially being deposited using the same platform. • The resulting zirconium coatings have confirmed excellent adhesion to the fuel substrate with no inclusions or microcracks. • The platform can potentially deposit other refractory metals and alloys for different operating environments.