Hydride-based shielding materials for compact fusion power reactors

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The miniaturisation of nuclear fusion reactors is dependent on the development of advanced materials, due to the restricted space for neutron shielding. One class of material that shows promising neutron attenuation efficiency is the group group III and IV metal hydrides, such as those based on yttrium, zirconium, and hafnium. Their outstanding performance is due to the combined gamma ray attenuation of the metal atom and neutron moderation of hydrogen.Our lab is committed to the development of these materials by processing these materials by new methods and understanding their degradation mechanisms in extreme fusion reactor environments [1]. These conditions include severe thermal and mechanical stresses, corrosion and irradiation. The ultimate goal of our work is to inform fusion reactor design and allow the development of materials with enhanced damage-tolerance.