Future plasma-burning magnetic thermonuclear fusion reactors impose several technological and scientific challenges. In addition to the complex alpha-particle physics, magnetic confinement and plasma stability control, materials science plays a critical role in the overall performance of these future devices. Target areas include: 1) low-Z coatings of adaptive, radiation-tolerant refractory nano-composites, 2) liquid-metal systems, 3) high-flux synergistic irradiation of candidate PFCs, and 4) in-situ tokamak PMI diagnostics. Prof. Allain has conducted pioneering work with in-situ surface chemistry analysis of plasma-material interactions (PMI) including lithiated graphite in close collaboration with the National Spherical Tokamak Experiment (NSTX) at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.
Dispersion-strengthened W alloy for fusion plasma-material interfaces
New directions in porous metal self-healing structures for extreme environments
