Characterization techniques

The structure of fusion material should be able to accommodate high H and He content, resulting from the transmutation of elements of the material matrix as these interact with neutrons produced by fusion plasmas. The presence of these light elements in the crystalline structure has important consequences for the mechanical properties of the metallic material. Understanding the mechanisms by which structural defects form will allow predicting the behaviour of devices and components and developing new alloys, capable of supporting the operational conditions of future fusion reactors.

Therefore, the TechnoFusión Facility will require a set of advanced devices and techniques for testing materials and components, in order to clarify the dynamics of these phenomena. On one hand, there will be a number of techniques for testing or characterizing materials during irradiation (referred to as in-beam techniques) or surface modification (in-situ techniques). On the other hand, there will be techniques that will allow monitoring mechanical, microstructural and compositional changes of irradiated materials, and making comparisons with the initial samples. In all cases, high-precision techniques are required in order to study very small samples, since the three accelerators facility proposed in the framework of TechnoFusion only allow small irradiation areas.