Energy: New Materials for Extreme Conditions

In order to achieve a CO₂-free energy supply, modern efficient power plants require materials that can withstand the most severe loading conditions. The goal of the EU-funded project INNUMAT  (Innovative Structural Materials for Fission and Fusion) is to develop such materials as quickly as possible. In this project, coordinated by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), researchers aim to investigate new innovative structural materials for use in nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, concentrated solar power and/or hydrogen confinement and identify suitable materials.

Structural materials are materials that are subjected to high mechanical stress in application and must therefore have special properties. "Since they are to be used in fission or fusion power plants, the materials must be able to withstand a corrosive environment, very high temperatures, and, under certain circumstances, irradiation for many years without suffering any damage," says project coordinator Jarir Aktaa from the KIT Institute for Applied Materials - Mechanics of Materials and Interfaces. Within four years, six classes of materials are to be investigated and tested, among others using artificial intelligence and high-throughput characterization methods to determine their suitability for extreme operating conditions.

Thirty-six partners - research institutions, universities, and private companies - from 15 countries are participating in this extensive research project. The project is funded with a total budget of eleven million euros. Of the approved EU funds, KIT will receive just over one million euros mainly for studies on the mechanical, corrosion, and irradiation behavior of newly developed structural materials.

20.01.2023