The grant, awarded in May, will support Hassanein's research project, “Pushing Performance Limits of Plasma Facing Materials for Next-Generation Nuclear Fusion Reactors.” The project focuses on improving the durability of plasma-facing materials (PFMs), the specialized components that line the interior of fusion reactors and are exposed to temperatures exceeding 100 million degrees Celsius, intense neutron radiation and powerful plasma interactions.

Hassanein, the Paul L. Wattelet Distinguished Professor in the School of Nuclear Engineering at Purdue University, said the research aims to solve the long-standing “first-wall problem,” widely regarded as one of the main and most critical obstacles to commercial fusion energy.

“Plasma instabilities are of major concern in advancing magnetic fusion for reliable and safe nuclear fusion energy production,” Hassanein said. “The anticipated increase in electromagnetic loading and the heat fluxes to plasma-facing components during these instabilities can result in serious damage to these reactor components.”

Ongoing research targets materials challenges facing next-generation fusion reactors

Fusion energy, which powers the sun, has long been viewed as a potentially limitless source of clean, carbon-free electricity. While scientists have made significant progress toward achieving sustained fusion reactions, developing materials capable of surviving the reactor’s extreme environment remains a major challenge.

Hassanein’s team will combine Purdue’s advanced computational modeling and experimental capabilities to improve the performance of tungsten and other advanced alloys used in walls and divertor components of fusion reactors. The research seeks to extend component lifetimes and enhance reactor reliability by mitigating damage caused by plasma transients and extreme heat loads.

The project builds on decades of fusion research led by Hassanein, who also directs Purdue’s Center for Materials under Extreme Environment (CMUXE). His previous DOE-funded work focused on integrated simulations of plasma transients and evaluating methods to prevent and mitigate plasma disruptions that can damage reactor components.

The research also supports broader U.S. participation in the international ITER project in southern France, where more than 30 countries are collaborating to construct the world’s largest tokamak, a magnetic fusion device designed to demonstrate the feasibility of large-scale fusion power. The experimental program at ITER is expected to play a critical role in advancing fusion science and paving the way for future commercial fusion power plants.

An internationally recognized leader in computational nuclear and plasma science, Hassanein and his team have developed advanced computer models and experimental facilities that predict how materials respond to extreme radiation and particle environments. A recent computational DOE grant ($1,506,494) awarded to Purdue is devoted to the development of the comprehensive High Energy Interaction with General Heterogenous Target Systems (HEIGHTS) advanced computer software package, a world’s first of such capabilities. HEIGHTS can simulate the entire tokamak fusion reactors with exact dimensions and their response to various plasma instabilities. His work has applications beyond fusion, including high-energy physics, national security and advanced nanolithography.

Hassanein has authored more than 600 scientific publications and is a fellow of eight professional societies, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), SPIE, Optica, IEEE, the American Nuclear Society (ANS) and the American Physical Society (APS). Before joining Purdue, Hassanein served as senior scientist and director of the U.S. DOE Fusion Power Program at Argonne National Laboratory.

Over his career at Purdue, Hassanein has secured more than $15 million in research funding from the DOE, National Science Foundation and other agencies supporting nuclear energy and fusion research. His latest DOE-funded project aligns with U.S. ITER research priorities aimed at accelerating the development of a domestic fusion pilot plant.

“The mission and end goal of our experimental and computational research, in concert with the work of others, is to strengthen the U.S. domestic program aimed at the development of a fusion pilot plant,” Hassanein said.