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New material for thermonuclear fusion reactors
Steel for extreme conditions
A safe reaction
Nuclear reactors might one day be constructed using materials that can self-heal following radiation damage, thanks to a materials study by scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
A safe reaction
Nuclear reactors might one day be constructed using materials that can self-heal following radiation damage, thanks to a materials study by scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Molten fluorides for nuclear applications
Analysis of several field cases reveals that corrosion in molten fluorides is essentially due to the oxidation of metals by uranium fluoride and/or oxidizing impurities. The thermodynamics of this process are discussed with an emphasis on understanding the mass transfer in the systems, selecting appropriate metallic materials and designing effective purification methods.
Structural materials for fission & fusion energy
Structural materials represent the key for containment of nuclear fuel and fission products as well as reliable and thermodynamically efficient production of electrical energy from nuclear reactors. Similarly, high-performance structural materials will be critical for the future success of proposed fusion energy reactors, which will subject the structures to unprecedented fluxes of high-energy neutrons along with intense thermomechanical stresses.

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Nuclear reactor materials at the atomic scale

22 December 2009
Emmanuelle A. Marquis, Jonathan M. Hyde, David W. Saxey, Sergio Lozano-Perez, Vanessa de Castro, Daniel Hudson, Ceri A. Williams, Samuel Humphry-Baker, George D.W. Smith

With the renewed interest in nuclear energy, developing new materials able to respond to the stringent requirements of the next-generation fission and future fusion reactors has become a priority. An efficient search for such materials requires detailed knowledge of material behaviour under irradiation, high temperatures and corrosive environments. Minimizing the rates of materials degradation will be possible only if the mechanisms by which it occurs are understood.

Atomic-scale experimental probing as well as modelling can provide some answers and help predict in-service behaviour. This article illustrates how this approach has already improved our understanding of precipitation under irradiation, corrosion behaviour, and stress corrosion cracking. It is also now beginning to provide guidance for the development of new alloys.

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Nuclear reactor materials at the atomic scale

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