OBJECTIVES AND PROSPECTS FOR LOW-ACTIVATION MATERIALS

The development and utilisation of low-activation materials has an essential role in enhancing the safety and environmental advantages of fusion energy. The benefits foreseen from low activation materials involve a wide span of material properties and radionuclide half lives ranging from seconds to millenia, and also vary for different reactor components and radiation exposure scenarios. Consequently, specific radiological criteria for materials selection are still being developed. Some of the proposed objectives are discussed in relation to the potential benefits and the performances of selected materials are examined.