The goal of this Integrated Project is to provide and to industrialize knowledge-based materials and their compounds for top-end and new applications in extreme environments that are beyond reach with incremental materials development only. The resulting radical multi-sartorial innovations will span-efficiency and lifetime enhancement of energy generation systems; -safe and reusable space components (protection, thrusters); -compact 3-d mustachio devices with optimum thermal management; -long lifetime, low-waste components in new neutron-based systems, e.g. spoliation, ADS, Voters; -and the harnessing of fusion as inexhaustible energy source. To realize these ambitious goals a set of radically new materials capable of withstanding extremely aggressive environments are required. The Project therefore contains four subprojects dedicated to the required extreme fictionalisation of the materials and to the integration of these materials into multi-functional compounds.
1.Self-passivating protection materials: (no erosion under oxygen, hydrogen up to 2000°C) 2.E. heat sink materials: (remove heat fluxes of 20 MW/m at up to 1000°C)
3.Radiation-resistant materials: (withstand 150 dap at 750°C; low radio activation)
4.ExtreMat compounds: (technology for functionalised compounds with very high durability)For the first time this project assembles the critical mass needed for these breakthrough developments by joining the expertise, facilities and forces which are presently scattered into the incremental improvement work for singular applications without connection to the underlying needs and common materials science issues. Besides the creation of the necessary know-how, knowledge dissemination among the partners involved and the potential user community is the common denominator, thus fostering the transformation of the conventional production industry into innovative, high-tech, knowledge-based, competitive industries