High heat flux materials

The working group develops and investigates materials for plasma-facing components

Close-up of a hexagonal structure with parallel lines and a scale of 1 mm for size determination. — Tungsten-copper composite fabricated through copper melt infiltration of a thin-walled, 3D-printed tungsten honeycomb structure.

Figure: IPP

Tungsten-copper composite fabricated through copper melt infiltration of a thin-walled, 3D-printed tungsten honeycomb structure.

Figure: IPP

The interaction of high-energy particles from a fusion plasma with the first wall leads to technologically challenging heat flux loadings on the surfaces of wall components. In addition, the materials of such components will be exposed to high-energy neutrons in future fusion reactors fueled by deuterium and tritium, which inevitably leads to continuous material properties degradation during fusion operation.

Against this background, the working group develops and investigates novel materials for highly heat loaded components, such as those used in divertors of magnetic confinement fusion reactors. In this context, relevant material solutions must primarily enable high heat removal capability and exhibit exceptionally high thermomechanical integrity.

The aim of the work carried out by the group is to develop new and innovative approaches for material solutions and the design of plasma-facing components and to test them under relevant loading conditions. State-of-the-art technologies such as additive manufacturing (“3D printing”) and tungsten fibre-reinforcement are exploited in this process.

The group was established in 2025 as a junior research group in the context of the ICoStruc (Innovative composite structures for highly loaded plasma-facing components in fusion devices) project funded by the BMFTR (Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space) and is working within this framework on tungsten-copper composite solutions for divertor components.