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From uncertainty to vitality: The future of nuclear energy in Illinois
Nuclear is enjoying a bit of a resurgence. The momentum for reliable energy to support economic development around the country—specifically data centers and AI—remains strong, and strongly in favor of nuclear. And as feature coverage on the states in the January 2026 issue of Nuclear News made abundantly clear, many states now see nuclear as necessary to support rising electricity demand while maintaining a reliable grid and reaching decarbonization goals.
O. Stein, Y. Liu, J. Streit, J. H. Campbell, Y. F. Lu, Y. Aglitskiy, N. Petta
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 73 | Number 2 | March 2018 | Pages 153-165
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2017.1406237
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Low-density foam targets were fabricated by direct laser writing using two-photon polymerization (2PP). The targets were used in high-energy-density shock-propagation experiments carried out on the NIKE laser system at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). The basic target comprised a rectilinear foam rod with a log-pile-like microstructure with overall dimensions of 2000 × 250 × 315 μm3 and a nominal density of ~100 mg/cm3. The foam block is topped with a 15-μm-thick, full-density ablation layer that is integrated into the 2PP printing process. The main challenge in fabricating the foam targets comes in maintaining dimensional and structural stability during 2PP postprocessing particularly during development, drying, and release from the substrate. Twelve 2PP foam rods were characterized and then built into targets. The characterization data show shrinkage of ~5% to 15% in overall dimensions attributed mainly to shrinkage of the acrylic resin (IP-Dip). Continuing development shows that use of the more stable IP-S commercial resin leads to significantly improved foam structure stability, reduced shrinkage, and a lower number of inherently weak stitching boundaries. The 12 targets provided to NRL have been shot; an example of the type of data obtained is presented.