Enhanced erosion resistance and radiation stability of WC–WO₃ nanocomposite films under 100 keV Kr⁺ ion irradiation

• Shristi Bist,
• Parswajit Kalita,
• Ratnesh K. Pandey,
• Sejal Shah,
• Richa Krishna,
• Umapathy G. R.,
• Sunil Ojha and
• Devesh K. Avasthi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 922–934, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.65

• , indicating dynamic microstructural evolution rather than amorphization under irradiation. These results highlight the potential of WC–WO3 nanocomposites as erosion-resistant and structurally resilient candidates for future plasma-facing applications in fusion reactors. Keywords: low energy ions; plasma

• -facing materials; sputtering erosion; WC–WO3 nanocomposites; Introduction Tungsten carbide (WC) and tungsten trioxide (WO3) are two hard and high-temperature-stable compounds that have individually demonstrated exceptional properties, including high melting points, mechanical strength, and chemical

• estimated damage in dpa at the highest fluence of 1 × 1017 ions/cm2 is ~5.4 × 102 for WC–WO3 nanocomposite films and ~7.5 × 102 for WC films. The dpa values for WC–WO3 nanocomposites and WC also estimate less damage in case of nanocomposite films as compared to the WC films. The pristine and irradiated S1