⚛️ Coating fusion reactors in liquid metal could unlock clean energy

In hot pursuit of viable fusion energy, physicists at Princeton found that lining the reactor with liquid lithium metal looks like a promising addition for smaller sustainable plants. And rather than merely containing million-degree plasma, the liquefied metal also boosts performance by absorbing escaping particles while driving density higher.

The lab’s Lithium Tokamak facility builds hope that commercially viable compact fusion reactors may come online in future. Learn more about how swirling liquid metal delivered unexpected benefits for fusions researchers in today’s Must Read.

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Unlike solid coatings, liquid lithium somehow enables hydrogen fuel absorption without losses at increased density — and this could prove critical for efficiently containing fusion’s 150 million ̊C reactions. This hints at more economical prospects if the engineering complexities encountered in the team’s small reactor scale up.

The liquid lithium lining’s durability also reduced damage to components from intense heat and particle erosion. With fission’s recent renaissance available to bridge the climate gap, innovations like Princeton’s show that the fusion race is still on. Each incremental advance will accrue one day into a fully-fledged fusion powerhouse. 

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