Roadmap highlights materials route to fusion

Developed with the input of materials experts from the UK research community and industry, the roadmap highlights five major areas of work required to enable the materials for future fusion power plants.

Recent advances in fusion technology mean that prototype fusion power stations are now being designed, notably the UK’s STEP plant which is due to go online in the early 2040s.

According to the UKAEA, the leading contender for fusion power plants is the ‘tokamak’ – a ring-shaped machine in which fuel is confined with powerful magnets and heated until particles fuse together. The fusion process produces high-energy neutrons that can be turned into electricity, but which could also significantly damage and irradiate materials within the device.

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Identifying, developing and qualifying the right materials is key to delivering commercial fusion because plant components and fuel breeder materials will need to withstand a highly challenging combination of neutron bombardment and thermal, magnetic, electric and mechanical loads in a tokamak power plant.