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The material has yet to find wide commercial application
and is found generally in development prototypes.
Applications quoted in literature include:
Field Emitters
Field emission arrays are used in flat video displays. They
also have potential uses in microwave devices and spacecraft charge
dissipation devices. As opposed to
display applications, many potential applications need high current per tip
and the ability to operate in vacuum.
Transition metal carbides meet the property requirements and have been
produced by vapour deposition.
Coating for UO2 Particle Fuel
ZrC coated UO2 particle fuel is a promising
fuel for high temperature gas cooled reactors. The layer acts as a diffusion barrier to the metal fission
products such as Cs. ZrC could
replace SiC, which is more generally used.
The ZrC layer is deposited by CVD.
It is compatible with UO2 and fission products and able to
sustain a large strain at high temperatures.
Ultrahigh Temperature Applications
ZrC is a candidate for ultrahigh temperature applications
because of its high melting point, good thermal shock resistance and absence
of phase changes in the solid state.
Components with operating temperatures of 2200 to 3000°C
would result in a cleaner burning rocket engine. Barriers to its use are the absence of a coating to protect
against oxidation and of a cost-effective manufacturing process for near-net
shaped components.
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