Plasma sprayed coatings for RF wave absorption

High requirements for fusion reactor materials and for experimental fusion devices have led within the fusion community to the development and testing of various coatings of the surfaces of in-vessel components and biological shields for microwave heating systems. Based on contacts with ITER, W7X and the Spanish Stellarator TJ-II, IPP Prague has initiated a development, production and test program on various low-Z materials. This paper reports on the production, development and properties of B4C, Si and Al2O3 coatings sprayed by water stabilized plasma. Main focus is on their radio frequency wave reflection properties. Further characterization includes the coating structure by microscopy, phase composition by X-ray diffraction and oxygen content measurement by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The results are discussed with respect to processing conditions as well as potential application.