Summary of experimental results for ceramic breeder materials

Lithium containing ceramics were quickly recognized as promising tritium breeding materials for fusion reactor blankets owing, in particular, to their safety advantages. Relevant material properties were investigated to further evaluate their suitability. An extensive R and D program complemented a conceptual blanket design activity either for near term machines or for power reactors. All aspects were addressed: fabricability, overall properties (baseline, thermal, mechanical), compatibility with structures and beryllium, tritium release characteristics, irradiation behavior, activation, reprocessing and waste disposal issues. As a result of this investigation, the lithium containing ceramics are considered to be excellent tritium breeding materials. (authors). 106 refs