[en] The blanket system is one of the most important components in a fusion reactor because it has a major impact on both the economics and safety of fusion energy. The primary functions of the blanket in a deuterium/tritium-fueled fusion reactor are to convert the fusion energy into sensible heat and to breed tritium for the fuel cycle. The Blanket Comparison and Selection Study, conducted earlier, described the overall comparative performance of various concepts, including liquid metal, molten salt, water, and helium. This report discusses the requirements of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor for a self-cooled blanket that uses liquid Li and for indirectly cooled blankets that use other alkali metals such as NaK. The report discusses the requirements for an electrically insulating coating on the first-wall structural material to minimize the MHD pressure drop during the flow of liquid metal in a magnetic field. The report addresses the thermodynamics of interactions between the liquid metals (e.g., Li and NaK) and structural materials (e.g., V-base alloys and Type 316 stainless steel) and the AlN candidate electrical insulator coating, together with associated corrosion/compatibility issues. Details are presented on the AlN coating fabrication methods, and experimental data are reported for microstructures, pretreatment of the substrate, and heat treatment of coatings, coating/substrate and coating/lithium interactions, and electrical resistance before and after exposure to lithium