Material considerations for high heat flux components

The environment to which high heat flux materials are exposed is probably the most severe of any fusion reactor component. The close coupling of these components to the plasma makes their proper operation of critical importance in obtaining good plasma performance. High heat flux materials must be capable of withstanding repeated thermal cycling without failure, must have desirable plasma interactiong properties, must be capable of operating without degrading the plasma, must be compatible with the tritium environment, and must have sufficient radiation damage resistance to allow operation for reasonable lifetimes. This paper briefly discusses these issues and presents some of the considerations involved in the selection of materials. (orig.)