Abstract
Since the need for low-activation fusion reactor materials was recognized in the mid-1980s, vanadium alloys have been researched and developed as promising candidates for blanket structural materials. Vanadium alloys are non-ferromagnetic and ductile materials and thus have advantages different from other candidates. However, since vanadium alloys are still at a premature industrial stage, research and development have been carried out not only on issues specific to fusion reactors but also on those related to industrial materials. Blankets using vanadium alloys as structural materials and liquid Li as a tritium breeder and coolant (self-cooled V/Li blankets) have unique characteristics, and research and development of issues specific to V/Li blankets have been conducted in conjunction with the development of vanadium alloys. In this paper, the progress of this research and development is reviewed, and the remaining issues are pointed out. Furthermore, the future direction of vanadium alloy research and development is discussed, considering recent changes in the environment surrounding fusion energy.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 101224 |
| Journal | Current Opinion in Solid State and Materials Science |
| Volume | 36 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 2025 |
Funding
This work was supported by National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan [ NIFS2022UFEX105 ]; JSPS KAKENHI, Japan [Grant No. 24 K00616 ]; National Natural Science Foundation of China, China [No. 12275073 and 12175028 ]; the Innovation Program of Southwestern Institute of Physics, China [No. 202301XWCX004-02 ]; the U.S. Department of Energy , Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, United States [Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 ]; the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), United States .
Keywords
- Liquid Li blanket
- Low-activation material
- Manufacturing technology
- Radiation effects
- Vanadium alloy