INNUMAT - Innovative Structural Materials for Fission and Fusion

Objective

INNUMAT aims to develop and advance innovative structural materials for future nuclear energy systems, focusing on their application in lead-cooled and molten salt fast reactors as well as in fusion DEMO. The project explores promising materials such as high-entropy alloys (HEAs), alumina-forming austenitic (AFA) steels, and advanced oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steels. INNUMAT combines accelerated material development strategies with qualification-oriented testing at various technology readiness levels.

High-Temperature Mechanical Behaviour

In INNUMAT, HZDR investigates the mechanical behaviour of HEAs, AFA steels, and ODS steels at high temperatures. Key techniques include small punch tensile and small punch creep testing, which enable the assessment of mechanical performance using miniaturised samples—particularly important for materials with limited availability.

Radiation Tolerance and Post-Irradiation Analysis

Understanding how materials respond to radiation is essential for their deployment in nuclear environments. HZDR conducts ion irradiation experiments at the HZDR Ion Beam Center to simulate neutron damage and studies the resulting microstructural changes using advanced post-irradiation examination methods. These include (scanning) transmission electron microscopy, nanoindentation and (in-kind) positron annihilation spectroscopy. Together, these activities help evaluate radiation-induced degradation processes and contribute to a deeper understanding of material performance under realistic operating conditions.

Involved staff

• Cornelia Kaden (ion irradiation experiments, post-irradiation examination)
• Karin Vogel (TEM)
• Paul Chekhonin (post-irradiation examination)
• Jann-Erik Brandenburg (post-irradiation examination, mechanical testing)

Funding

This project has received funding from the European Union`s Horizon EURATOM 2021 NRT 01 nuclear research and training programme under grant agreement No 101061241.