Professor Kevin Field will lead U-M’s support of five new fusion materials projects using advanced ion irradiation technologies and characterization to tackle challenges in materials for fusion energy.
U-M’s Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences (NERS) department, along with the Michigan Ion Beam Laboratory (MIBL), will launch five new fusion materials research projects across two U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) programs in 2025. Associate Professor Kevin Field is U-M’s lead on these initiatives which are poised to propel the development of innovative materials essential for the future of fusion energy technology.
Four of the projects are within ARPA-E’s Creating Hardened And Durable Fusion First Wall Incorporating Centralized Knowledge (CHADWICK) program and one project is under the Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) program’s Fusion Innovation Research Engine (FIRE) collaborative.
Field’s team at MIBL will utilize advanced ion irradiation technologies to perform dual- and triple-beam ion irradiations. This cutting-edge method effectively replicates the damage and elemental transmutation typical in fusion environments, mimicking the high-energy neutron interactions expected in fusion energy systems.
“The capabilities of the Michigan Ion Beam Laboratory are pivotal in advancing our understanding and development of materials for fusion energy applications,” said Field. “Our work, building upon years of pioneering research at U-M, is crucial in addressing the challenges posed by the harsh conditions in fusion reactors.”
Complexion Engineered Nanocrystalline Tungsten Alloy Plasma Facing Materials for Long-Pulse Tokamak Operation
A collaboration with Johns Hopkins University, this project focuses on strengthening nanocrystalline tungsten materials for nuclear environments.
Ferritic and Vanadium Alloys with Nanoparticle Strengthening for Fusion (FAVA-NSF)
Field’s team will collaborate with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to create new durable V-based alloys. Iowa State University will also collaborate.
Refractory Alloys with Ductility and Strength (RADS)
Aimed at developing new high-temperature W-based materials with Ames National Laboratory.
Co-Optimization of an Integral, Layered Materials Solution for Compact Tokamak Vessels
A partnership with Commonwealth Fusion Systems focused on optimizing manufacturing processes of W- and V-rich alloys for fusion power plants.
Fusion Innovation Research Engine (FIRE) – Integrated Materials Program to Accelerate Chamber Technologies (IMPACT)
Led by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, this project aims to design and test new structural materials including advanced steels.
These new research initiatives build on NERS and MIBL’s ongoing fusion materials projects. Among them is a DOE Fusion Energy Sciences Early Career Award led by Field, investigating helium transmutation effects on precipitate stability in advanced fusion energy steels. Field has also been collaborating with Oak Ridge National Laboratory on a GAMOW ARPA-E program exploring the scalability of laboratory-derived advanced steels for the fusion energy industry. Additionally, a DOE Fusion Energy Sciences program, led by Emeritus Professor Gary Was, investigates the role of helium and hydrogen on the swelling characteristics of fusion energy steels. Was also leads an industry-sponsored program in collaboration with Commonwealth Fusion Energy Systems, developing novel methods for accelerated irradiation testing of materials in fusion-relevant ion irradiation environments, including continuous gas gradient implantation techniques.
The foundations of these new and current projects rest on the pioneering vision of Was, the founding now-retired director of MIBL. Over his illustrious 41-year career, Was was instrumental in establishing MIBL’s current state, working extensively with industry and government bodies to equip the laboratory with three ion accelerators and essential analytical tools. His dedicated efforts—including leading the reconfiguration of MIBL in the 2010s—marked the beginning of a new era for MIBL to do cutting-edge fusion and fission energy research.
“With some 50 nuclear fusion start-ups pushing the forefront of commercial nuclear fusion, MIBL is providing the capability to address the behavior and selection of materials for fusion-relevant environments,” said Was. “The growth in private fusion company start-ups is reflected in the new fusion materials projects Kevin Field is bringing to MIBL.”
“Understanding the behavior of materials under extreme conditions is key to developing fusion reactors. Professor Field and MIBL are well positioned to take on this challenging research problem,” said Carolyn Kuranz, NERS Associate Professor and member of the Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC).
The CHADWICK and FIRE programs are poised to make transformative strides, addressing issues like the longevity and durability of first-wall materials in fusion power plants. The ambitious objectives of these programs target breakthroughs in maintaining ductility, thermal conductivity, and more, which are vital for the commercial viability of fusion energy systems.
Pictured in header image: (Left) Prashanta Niraula, (middle) Alex Flick, and (right) Charlie Hirst prepare the multi-beam ion chamber for a triple beam ion irradiation to study how transmutation and radiation damage impact the microstructure – the atom-by-atom building blocks of material – of a fusion relevant steel for an industrial collaborator.