Microengineering Design for Advanced W-Based Bulk Materials with Improved Properties

In fusion reactors, such as ITER or DEMO, the plasma used to generate nuclear reactions will reach temperatures that are an order of magnitude higher than in the Sun's core. Although the plasma is not supposed to be in contact with the reactor walls, a large amount of heat generated by electromagnetic radiation, electrons and ions being expelled from the plasma will reach the plasma-facing surface of the reactor. Especially for the divertor part, high heat fluxes of up to 20 MW/m² are expected even in normal operating conditions. An improvement in the plasma-facing material (which is, in the case of ITER, pure Tungsten, W) is desired at least in terms of both a higher recrystallization temperature and a lower brittle-to-ductile transition temperature. In the present work, we discuss three microengineering routes based on inclusions of nanometric dispersions, which are proposed to improve the W properties, and present the microstructural and thermophysical properties of the resulting W-based composites with such dispersions. The materials' behavior after 6 MeV electron irradiation tests is also presented, and their further development is discussed.