• tritium breeding
• nuclear fusion
• ITER
• ceramics

Harnessing the energy of thermonuclear fusion reactions is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Fusion, the nuclear reaction which powers the sun and stars, would provide mankind with a safe, environmentally responsible and almost limitless source of energy.
A fusion reactor is very complex device and requires scrupulous selection of the materials to meet both technological and safety needs. These materials must resist the conditions of the reactor and at the same time perform their functions with high efficiency. The objective of this dissertation is to synthesize and characterize lithium-based ceramics used as tritium-breeding material within the blanket of the nuclear reactor.
The two types of candidates researched in this thesis are a binary system of Li4SiO4-Li4GeO4 and a ternary system of Li4SiO4-Li4GeO4-Li2TiO3. Different composition of each substituent within the ceramics are tested in order to assess how the characteristics of the material changed. The solid state method is used for the synthesis of the product. For every sample XRD, HT-XRD, DSC, DIL, SEM, HE-pycnometry, Hg-porosimetry and the crush load is evaluated. The final product is fabricated by KALOS, a melt-based process that delivers the material in the form of pebbles with a diameter of 1mm.