Anagrafe della ricerca

Thanks to its many appealing features (e.g. unlimited fuel, very high power density, no greenhouse emission, limited production of radioactive waste) nuclear fusion power has the potential to solve the energy problem for mankind. The quest toward fusion energy has started more than 60 years ago, following two main approaches for the confinement of thermonuclear plasma: inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and magnetic confinement fusion (MCF). Despite recent groundbreaking progresses in both ICF and MCF, significant challenges are still to be faced before the achievement of practical fusion power. One of the most critical aspects toward this goal is related to the development of advanced materials and the study of their interaction with fusion-relevant plasmas. In this framework, the specific interest for micro- and nanostructured materials (MNSM) has grown in recent years for both ICF and MCF researches. MNSMs can enhance the absorption of laser energy in ICF capsules and smooth inhomogeneities, serve as smart coatings for plasma-facing components in MCF devices or mimic the great variety of re/co-deposited materials that are observed in present-day tokamaks and are expected in ITER and DEMO. Given the intrinsic non-linearity and complexity of this topic, a multi-disciplinary approach is highly desirable. All the proponent Research Units (RUs) have provided substantial theoretical and experimental contributions in the fields of material science and technology and plasma-material interaction in configurations relevant for both ICF and MCF. This project aims at providing a multi-disciplinary research platform for the experimental and theoretical investigation of MNSM for fusion applications and their interaction with fusion-relevant plasmas, along the lines pioneered by the applicant RUs and exploiting the synergy offered by their complementary areas of expertise.