Development of polyvinyl alcohol shells overcoated with polystyrene layer for inertial confinement fusion experiments

Abstract

In inertial fusion experiments, the use of polymer shells provides more efficient ablative implosion and significantly reduced radiation preheat compared with the glass shells currently used. We have developed a method of fabricating polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) shells overcoated with a polystyrene (PS) layer. The method utilizes the emulsion technique previously developed by us, and employs three different liquid phases. A 5 wt. % aqueous PVA solution is mixed with a 7 wt. % PS solution in dichloromethane while stirring. The mixture is then poured into a 1 wt. % PS solution in cidhloromethane while stirring. The mixture is then poured into a 1 wt. % aqueous gelatin solution. The resulting emulsion is heated to evaporate the dichloromethane, resulting in solid PS shells encapsulating the PVA solution. The PS shells are subsequently washed and dried in vacuum to drive off the remaining water. As a result, a PVA shell is formed inside an overcoating PS shell which exhibits a good surface quality in the outer diameter and wall thickness regime currently desired by inertial confinement fusion experimenters.