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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.
F. Durut, R. Botrel, E. Brun, S. Le Tacon, C. Chicanne, O. Vincent-Viry, M. Theobald, V. Vignal
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 70 | Number 2 | August-September 2016 | Pages 341-350
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST15-230
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Pure gold-copper alloys are known to be difficult to electrodeposit because of a strong variation in composition after a few microns have been deposited. Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique (CEA) studied the phenomenon and showed that the decrease in gold’s content is accompanied by an evolution of the microstructure that could be attributed to the free cyanide released near the cathode. During electrolysis, free cyanides provoke a decrease of the copper overpotential (until copper reduction is stopped) and promote the formation of Cu(CN)43− that conduct to an instantaneous three-dimensional nucleation of copper. This phenomenological model well explains why the growth mechanism changes and why only gold is deposited for thick deposits. On the basis of this model, CEA has developed a specific process using ultrasonic waves in order to remove the free cyanides from the cathode. This process allows CEA to perform thick gold-copper deposits with a constant concentration in copper through all the thickness. By controlling the applied potential, different thick alloys with a concentration of copper between 0 wt% up to 40 wt% can be deposited.