Modeling Accelerated Development of Interface Engineered Tungsten Alloy Plasma Facing Materials

A multifaceted research program is proposed that integrates a computational alloy design framework with experimental bulk alloy production, characterization, and simulation-informed property optimization. Traditional sintering routes are deliberately combined with laser AM processing to assess the unique microstructures deriving from each process, their effects on alloy performance, and the potential of AM to enable novel divertor designs for driving surface heat load limits beyond 10 MW/m2. From this research, strategies for stabilizing tungsten through synergistic doping of interfaces will be realized and provide a framework for future alloy optimization enabling enhanced performance metrics, novel divertor designs, and opportunities to validate performance under relevant PFM conditions.