Advanced materials for fusion technology

The challenging environment associated with a fusion reactor (radiation, heat flux, chemical compatibility and thermomechanical stresses) will require the utilization of advanced structural materials in order to enable the successful development of fusion energy. Research supported by the international fusion materials programs and the broader materials science community is providing important advances in the development of improved materials that also satisfy the requirements for reduced long-term activation and low short-term decay heat. An overview is given regarding recent work on high-performance ferritic/martensitic and bainitic steels, nanocomposited oxide-dispersion-strengthened ferritic steels, vanadium alloys and SiC ceramic composites, which are candidate structural materials for fusion systems. Several of these advanced alloys developed by fusion researchers are being spun off for near-term commercial applications in other fields, such as fossil energy.