锆化合物陶瓷继承了金属锆的优良核用性能，是未来先进核能应用中所需要的燃料、结构、嬗变的重要候选材料体系。但目前核能用陶瓷的设计与性能评价非常缺乏，已经成为先进核能系统开发的关键瓶颈。本项目以锆的五种（C, N, B, O, Si）典型化合物陶瓷为主要研究对象，通过材料设计揭示不同服役条件下材料的性能与化学计量比、缺陷类型、晶界特征之间的内在关系；在此基础上，针对不同的锆化合物陶瓷发展相应的制备技术，深入研究其在不同气氛和核用许可掺杂条件下的致密化与微结构形成机理，以及杂质特别是氧的含量与分布规律，结合陶瓷的纳米化和微结构与界面调控，以及化学缺位与纳米结构的协同控制，实现核用综合性能的提升；结合离子和中子辐照实验，研究材料辐照后的微观结构和力学、热物理性能演变，揭示锆化合物陶瓷的辐照性能与结构、组分、制备工艺之间的内在相关性，为核用锆化合物陶瓷的设计、筛选和制备提供重要的理论基础和实验方案。

Zr-compound ceramics, which inherit excellent properties of zirconium in nuclear applications, are important candidate materials of nuclear fuels, structural and transmutation materials for future advanced nuclear energy applications. However, lacking of nuclear ceramics design and properties evaluations has been the main bottleneck restriction of R&D of advanced nuclear systems. Focusing on five typical Zr-compounds (C, N, B, O, Si) ceramics, this project will unveil the relationship between structures, stoichiometry, defect types, and grain boundaries under different conditions via materials design. New synthesis techniques for different Zr-compound ceramics will be developed to investigate condensation and microstructure evolution mechanism under different atmosphere and doping conditions for nuclear applications and to control impurity contents and distributions, especially oxygen impurity. Combination properties will be improved by nanocrystallization, controlling of microstructures and interfaces, and cooperative controlling of chemical stoichiometry and nanostructures. With ion and neutron radiation experiments, changes of microstructures, mechanical and thermophysical properties of ceramics after radiation will be investigated and the inherent law of radiation properties and structure, components and synthesis will be clarified to provide important theoretical fundamentals and experimental schemes for materials design and selection of Zr-compound ceramics for nuclear applications.