ENEA research programme on fusion technology materials

In the last two decades, neutron scattering techniques and in particular small angle neutron scattering (SANS) have found an increasingly wide application to the study of materials related to nuclear technology and, most recently, to the construction of the future fusion reactor. The paper presents a research programme developed by the Comitato Nazionale per la Ricerca e per lo Sviluppo dell'Energia Nucleare e delle Energie Alternative (ENEA), in co-operation with the University of Ancona and the Commission of the European Communities Joint Research Centre, Ispra. The main objective of this programme is to carry out microstructural investigation of the irradiation behaviour of a high Cr steel developed for the Next European Torus by using SANS. Details of previous studies of structural materials such as AISI 304 stainless steel and alloy 800 are given. The possible extension of the present research programme is discussed with reference to the international co-operation involved. (author). 19 refs, 5 figs