Ultra-resistant alloys to fortify nuclear fusion reactor 'first wall'

Researchers at Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), in collaboration with the laser-fusion company Focused Energy, have developed ultra-resistant materials aimed at reinforcing the “first wall” of future nuclear fusion reactors. The first wall is the innermost surface of a fusion reactor’s vacuum chamber, directly exposed to the superheated plasma and extreme neutron radiation. This critical barrier must withstand temperatures hotter than the sun and intense mechanical stress to protect the reactor’s internal components. The DINERWA project focuses on creating durable structural and functional materials, including oxide-dispersion-strengthened steels, copper alloys, nanostructured tungsten, and high-entropy alloys, engineered at the microscopic level to maintain stability under extreme thermal and radiation loads. Beyond material innovation, the team is also advancing manufacturing and joining techniques to assemble these materials into complex reactor modules capable of enduring real operational conditions. Testing is conducted at KIT’s HELOKA facility, which simulates the high-heat-flux and mechanical stresses expected in fusion