Fusion Materials Development at Forschungszentrum Jülich

Abstract

Material issues pose a significant challenge for the design of future fusion reactors. From a historic point of view, the material mix used for the first wall of a fusion reactor has continually evolved, from original steel vessels to carbon and other low‐Z materials such as beryllium to tungsten as the primary candidate for a reactor's first wall armor and divertor material. For materials considered for fusion applications, a highly integrated approach is necessary. Resilience against neutron damage, good power exhaust, and oxidation resistance during accidental air ingress are design relevant issues while deciding on new materials or improving upon baseline materials. Neutron‐induced effects, e.g., transmutation adding to embrittlement, retention, and changes to thermomechanical properties, are crucial to material performance. In this contribution, the recent progress (2013–2019) in fusion materials development for current and future fusion devices, at Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, with activities focussing on advanced materials and their characterization is given. It is a continuation and extension of the work given by Coenen et al.