Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Commentary
  • Published:

Materials research for fusion energy

Nature Materials volume 5, pages 77–80 (2006)Cite this article

The race is on for developing environmentally friendly energy from fusion. Can modelling speed up the design of materials necessary for good economic performance?

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1
Figure 2: Energies of formation of self-interstitial defects in the b.c.c. metals, calculated by DFT.
Figure 3: Atomistic simulations, using the new potential, of a dislocation loop and its environment in b.c.c. iron.

References

  1. Stoller, R. E., Zinkle, S. J., Nichols, J. A. & Corwin, W. R. Workshop on Advanced Computational Materials Science: Application to Fusion and Generation IV Fission Reactors (Department of Energy, USA, 2004).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Cook, I. et al. Fusion Sci. Technol. 47, 384–392 (April 2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Maisonnier, D. et al. A Conceptual Study of Commercial Fusion Power Plants: Final Report of the European Power Plant Conceptual Study Report EFDA-RP-RE-5.0 (European Fusion Development Agreement, April 2005).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Ward, D. J., Cook, I., Lechon, Y. & Saez, R. Fusion Eng. Design 75–79, 1221–1227 (November 2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Conclusions of the Fusion Fast Track Experts Meeting 27 November 2001 (commonly called the King Report) (European Council of Ministers, 2001).

  6. Cook, I., Taylor, N., Ward, D., Baker, L. & Hender, T. Accelerated Development of Fusion Power UKAEA FUS 521 (February, 2005).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Andreani, R., Diegele, E., Laesser, R. & van der Schaaf, B. J. Nuclear Mater. 329–333, 20–30 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Zinkle, S. J. Phys. Plasmas 12, 058102 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. A Technology Roadmap for Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems (US Department of Energy, Nuclear Energy Research Advisory Committee and the Generation IV International Forum, December 2002).

  10. Stoneham, A. M., Matthews, J. R. & Ford, J. J. J. Phys. Condens. Matter 16, S2597–S2621 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Fu, C. -C., Dalla Torre, J., Willaime, F., Bocquet, J. & Barbu, A. Nature Mater. 4, 68–74 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Nguyen Manh, D., Horsfield, A. P. & Dudarev, S. L. Phys. Rev B 73, 020101(R) (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Fu, C. -C., Willaime, F. & Ordejón, P. Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 175503 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Liu, G. Q., Nguyen Manh, D., Liu, B. G. & Pettifor, D. G. Phys. Rev. B 71, 174115 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Dudarev, S. L. & Derlet, P. M. J. Phys. Condens. Matter 17, 7097 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Derlet, P. M. & Dudarev, S. L. Prog. Mater. Sci. (in the press).

  17. Serruys, Y., Ruault, M. -O., Trocellier, P., Henry, S., Kaïtsov, O. & Trouslard, Ph. Nucl. Instrum. Meth. Phys. Res. B240, 124–127 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was funded jointly by the United Kingdom Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and by the European communities under the Contract of Association between Euratom and UKAEA. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. UKAEA Fusion, D3 Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, OX14 3DB, Oxfordshire, UK

    Ian Cook

Authors
  1. Ian Cook
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cook, I. Materials research for fusion energy. Nature Mater 5, 77–80 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat1584

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat1584

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing