German Scientists Develop New Technology for Nuclear Fusion Reactors Using Tungsten

The construction of a nuclear fusion reactor is essentially an attempt to contain a small sun within an artificial chamber, where the inner walls are subjected to extreme temperatures every second. Tungsten is regarded as the ideal material for such conditions, as it can withstand temperatures exceeding 3,000 degrees Celsius, at which point other metals simply vaporize. However, tungsten has its drawbacks: its abundance in the Earth's crust is extremely low, making it expensive, and manufacturing complex components from it poses a significant challenge for machinery.

Given these difficulties, German scientists from the Max Planck Institute and IoLiTec have approached the issue of tungsten scarcity and its high cost from a new angle. Instead of constructing reactor components entirely from tungsten, they began to 'grow' it in thin layers on simpler and cheaper materials. However, traditional galvanic methods did not yield the desired results; attempts to deposit tungsten in standard aqueous solutions resulted only in bubbles of hydrogen, leaving the surface virtually clean.

To overcome this physical barrier, the researchers developed an entirely new technology based on anhydrous electrolytes and ionic liquids. They effectively eliminated water from the process, allowing pure metal to be stably deposited onto a substrate. Andreas Weibel from Fraunhofer IPA emphasizes the significance of this achievement: 'There has never been a method for the electrochemical deposition of pure tungsten in the world—neither in industrial workshops nor even within the walls of closed laboratories.'

Thanks to this new technology, engineers no longer have to endure the complex mechanical milling of tungsten, which is found in the Earth's crust in only one-millionth of its total volume. Now, they can 'grow' a protective layer on simpler and cheaper structural materials, opening up new possibilities for the construction of nuclear fusion reactors.

This new method provides complete control over the thickness and uniformity of the layer, which is critical for the stability of the magnetic fields that contain the scorching plasma. Rather than investing billions of dollars in building reactors made solely from iron, the industry is now presented with the opportunity to create scalable and financially viable energy units capable of operating for years without the need to replace the internal armor.