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Fusion energy: Progress, partnerships, and the path to deployment
Over the past decade, fusion energy has moved decisively from scientific aspiration toward a credible pathway to a new energy technology. Thanks to long-term federal support, we have significantly advanced our fundamental understanding of plasma physics—the behavior of the superheated gases at the heart of fusion devices. This knowledge will enable the creation and control of fusion fuel under conditions required for future power plants. Our progress is exemplified by breakthroughs at the National Ignition Facility and the Joint European Torus.
T. P. Bernat, J. H. Campbell, N. Petta, I. Sakellari, S. Koo, J.-H. Yoo, C. Grigoropoulos
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 70 | Number 2 | August-September 2016 | Pages 310-315
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST15-219
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Hollow cylindrical tubes grown directly from flat glass substrates as well as spherical glow-discharge-polymer substrates were made using two-photon polymerization. The tube diameters were as small as 10-μm outer diameter and 4- to 5-μm inner diameter, and lengths were as long as 450 μm. Such structures could conceivably be used as fill tubes on inertial confinement fusion capsules. Two resin materials were examined, giving tubes with different flexibilities. One resin was an organic-inorganic hybrid silicon-zirconium sol gel, the second being Ormocomp, a commercially available ultraviolet-curable material. The strength of attachment of the zirconium-based sol gel tubes to their substrates was measured to be around 100 MPa. The times measured to remove uncured resins from high-aspect-ratio tubes during the development process were several hours.