Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A method for producing nuclear fuel products, the method comprising:receiving metallic or intermetallic uranium-based fuel particle cores,providing at least one physical vapour deposited coating layer surrounding the fuel particle core, the physical vapour deposited coating layer having a layer thickness between 5 nm and 2 μm, andembedding the coated fuel particles in a matrix material so as to form a powder mixture of coated fuel particles and matrix material. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein embedding the coated fuel particles in a matrix material comprises obtaining a powder dispersion of the fuel particles and the solid matrix powder material. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method furthermore comprises compacting the powder mixture of coated fuel particles and matrix material by pressing. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein providing at least one physical vapour deposited coating layer comprises sputtering a coating layer having a thickness between 100 nm and 2 μm on the fuel particle core. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method furthermore comprises annealing the provided coating layer. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein providing at least one physical vapour deposited coating layer comprises providing at least one physical vapour deposited coating layer comprising inhibitor elements for inhibiting formation of an interaction layer between the coated fuel particles and the matrix material. 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the coating layer comprises ZrN or Si to avoid interaction between the coated fuel particles and the matrix material. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein providing at least one physical vapour deposited coating layer comprises providing at least one physical vapour deposited coating layer comprising neutron poisons. 9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the at least one physical vapour deposited coating layer comprising neutron poisons has a layer thickness between 100 nm and 200 nm. 10. The method according to claim 1, wherein providing the at least one physical vapour deposited coating layer comprises one or more of providing a single coating layer comprising both neutron poisons and inhibitor elements using co-deposition and providing a plurality of coating layers, each layer comprising one or more elements for introducing an additional functionality to the fuel particles. 11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the providing at least one physical vapour deposited coating layer is performed at room temperature. 12. A nuclear fuel product comprising a matrix material and nuclear fuel particles embedded therein, said fuel product based on a powder mixture of the matrix material and the nuclear fuel particles, the nuclear fuel particles comprising a metallic or intermetallic uranium-based fuel particle core and at least one physical vapour deposited coating layer surrounding the fuel particle core, the at least one physical vapour deposited coating layer having a thickness between 5 nm and 2 μm. 13. The nuclear fuel product according to claim 12, wherein the powder mixture is a powder dispersion of the fuel particles and the solid matrix powder material, and/or wherein the powder mixture of matrix material and coated fuel particles are compacted. 14. The nuclear fuel product according to claim 12, wherein the physical vapour deposited coating layer has a thickness between 100 nm and 2 μm and/or wherein the at least one physical vapour deposited coating is an amorphous coating layer and/or wherein the at least one physical vapour deposited coating layer is annealed. 15. The nuclear fuel product according to claim 12, wherein the at least one physical vapour deposited coating layer comprises inhibitor elements for inhibiting formation of an interaction layer of the nuclear fuel particle with the matrix material and/or inhibiting the negative effects of this interaction layer formation on the behaviour of the fuel during its use. 16. The nuclear fuel product according to claim 15, wherein the inhibitor elements comprise one of or a combination of Si, Zr, Nb, U, Mo, Al, Ti, As, Mg, Ge, Sn, Pb, Bi, Se, Sb or Te, an oxide thereof, a nitride thereof or a carbide thereof. 17. The nuclear fuel product according to claim 12, wherein the at least one physical vapour deposited coating layer comprises neutron poisons. 18. The nuclear fuel product according to claim 17, wherein the neutron poisons comprise one of or a combination of B, Sm, Gd, Dy, Ag, In, Cd, Er, Hf, Eu or Ta. 19. The nuclear fuel product according to claim 12, wherein the at least one physical vapour deposited coating layer comprises a single coating layer comprising both neutron poisons and inhibitor elements obtained by co-deposition and/or wherein the at least one physical vapour deposited coating layer comprises a stack of at least two layers, one layer comprising neutron poisons, another layer comprising inhibitor elements. 20. The nuclear fuel product according to claim 12, wherein the metallic or intermetallic uranium-based core comprise one or a combination of uranium alloys, uranium silicides or aluminides. 21. The nuclear fuel product according to claim 12, the nuclear fuel product being in the shape of a fuel plate or fuel rod. 22. A nuclear installation for generating neutrons, the nuclear installation comprising a fuel element that is a nuclear fuel product as recited in claim 12.