PIRE: Nuclear Energy Systems and Materials under Extreme Conditions

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The development and refinement of advanced materials for nuclear and cutting edge applications will allow energy systems to operate with increased reliability, safety, and economy while increasing sustainability and limiting negative environmental impacts. This research will significantly reduce the principal bottleneck for developing future energy technologies, i.e., the lack of reliable damage-resistant materials for use under extreme environments. The research will critically advance knowledge about the interaction of particle and plasma beams with various materials under extreme irradiation conditions. These scientific outcomes have related policy impacts for systems modeling and energy planning in both the near and long term for both developed and developing countries as global appetites for energy continue to increase. Improving sustainability outcomes while securing our energy future entails a global outlook that brings together the appropriate people and resources to not only advance basic research but also to ensure the existence of a diverse, globally-minded and well-trained cadre of scientists, policy specialists, and industry workers. The goal for this project is to provide robust computer resources and experimental validation to minimize irradiation-based design constraints of materials performance while situating this research within a larger context of sustainability, resource management, and global energy policy. This project draws on international research partnerships to develop the human capital essential for further work in materials under extreme conditions. It brings together key partners and research facilities in Japan, Russia, Germany, and Ireland that will enable graduate student research across disciplines with a focus on Nuclear Energy/Fusion, Lithography, and High Energy and Nuclear Physics Applications. No one location can provide all these facilities; together with resources at Purdue, Illinois, and Tuskegee, students gain critical experience in modeling, simulation, and experimentation. Scientific gains from the experimental research also have potentially far-reaching implications for industrial sectors such as semi-conductor manufacturing using EUVL as well as in energy sectors including solar, wind, and coal. The education model focuses on engaging students in both course-related and research opportunities and on providing multiple types of international experiences that develop global competencies. The project is funded by NSF's Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE) through the PIRE.