| low-activation materials | <radiobiology> In fission reactors, one is forced to deal with the radioactive byproducts of the fission process, but in fusion reactors one generally has a choice of what materials to expose to neutrons produced by the fusion process. A major problem for fusion reactors is developing materials (such as for the reactor vacuum vessel structure) which can be exposed to high levels of neutron bombardment without becoming permanently radioactive. Candidate structural materials which have relatively low induced radiactivation (generally relative to stainless steel) are known as low-activation materials, these include titanium, vanadium, and silicon-carbide. (09 Oct 1997) |
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