A COPPER ALLOY WITH SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED HIGH TEMPERATURE PROPERTIES WOULD BE A DESIRABLE COMPONENT OF A HIGH HEAT FLUX FIRST WALL PLASMA CONFINEMENT SYSTEM FOR FUSION REACTORS.

A COPPER ALLOY WITH SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED HIGH TEMPERATURE PROPERTIES WOULD BE A DESIRABLE COMPONENT OF A HIGH HEAT FLUX FIRST WALL PLASMA CONFINEMENT SYSTEM FOR FUSION REACTORS. THIS PROJECT WILL DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITY OF INCORPORATING COLLOIDAL OXIDE PARTICLES IN A MOLTEN COPPER ALLOY. THE OXIDE WILL BE WET BY AND REMAIN STABLE IN THE COPPER MELT, ALLOWING THE COPPER TO BE CAST AND WELDED, UNLIKE CURRENT DISPERSION STRENTHENED (DS) COPPER. COLLODIAL SIZED OXIDE PARTICLES WILL BE EMBEDDED IN COPPER BY A CHEMICAL COPRECIPITATION AND HYDROGEN REDUCTION TECHNIQUE. THE COPPER POWDER WILL THEN BE ADDED TO A COPPERALLOY MELT WHICH CONTAINS SMALL QUANITITES OF A REACTIVE METAL WHICH WILL RENDER THE OXIDE PARTICLES METALLOPHILIC. OXIDE PARTICLE SIZE AND EFFECTS WILL BE DETERMINED BY TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROCOPY (TEM) AND MICROHARDNESS TESTING.