The discovery has led the research team to develop a liquid metal tin divertor, which is an advanced heat-removal component of fusion reactors.
The process is possible due to the chemical compatibility between high-temperature liquid metal tin (Sn) and reduced activation ferritic martensitic, a candidate structural material for fusion reactors.
Fusion is a potential source of almost limitless clean energy but is currently only carried out in experiments as it has proved difficult to harness. However, there are hopes that it could become a safe and clean alternative source of energy in the not-too-distant future.
Divertors are fundamental components of fusion reactors, as they are used to gasify impurities in the plasma and send the gas to an exhaust pump. Usually, divertors are solid, made of a block of metal.
During the operation of a fusion reactor, some of the structural components of the divertor are exposed to extremely large heat loads – at the...