Status and perspective of the R&D on ceramic breeder materials for testing in ITER

The main line of ceramic breeder materials research and development is based on the use of the breeder material in the form of pebble beds. At present, there are three candidate pebble materials (Li4SiO4, and two forms of Li2TiO3) for DEMO reactors that will be used for testing in ITER. This paper reviews the R&D of as-fabricated pebble materials against the blanket performance requirements and makes recommendations on necessary steps toward the qualification of these materials for testing in ITER.