Review on thermal conductivity of SiCf/SiC composites for nuclear applications

Continuous silicon carbide fibre toughened silicon carbide composites (SiCf/SiC) are highly promising materials for nuclear reactor applications due to their low chemical activity, low density, low coefficient of thermal expansion, high energy conversion rate and good high temperature strength. However, the thermal conductivity requirements of nuclear reactors are difficult to meet in conventional SiCf/SiC composites. To improve the thermal conductivity of SiCf/SiC composites, many approaches to enhance the thermal conductivity of SiCf/SiC composites under nuclear reactor applications were firstly introduced. Further, the worldwide research process in this field has been reviewed. Finally, further development of the thermal conductivity research was discussed and prospected.