Advanced shielding materials for compact fusion reactors

This project aims to predict how materials used for shielding sensitive components in nuclear fusion reactors will degrade over time, through a combination of experimental irradiation campaigns, multi-scale modelling and advanced characterisation techniques. The researchers are using this knowledge to design advanced alloys for radiation shielding, which are critical for the development of more compact fusion reactors, with lower construction costs and shorter assembly time. These advanced shield materials may also be used in other applications in radiation fields (for example, in space and nuclear medicine). The project also seeks to extend the Australian nuclear research capability by developing an innovative technique to study radiation damage using the OPAL reactor at ANSTO.