Abstract
The design, construction and operation of next-step fusion energy devices such as the CFETR require solutions to a number of plasma-material interaction (PMI) challenges. These include prediction and management of high particle and heat fluxes to the divertor target, achievement of very low target and wall erosion rates, very low tritium retention rates in radiation-damaged materials, development of radiation-damage resistant wall and target materials with adequate lifetimes.  We summarize current efforts underway in laboratory-scale experiments and confinement devices, outline key missing elements in these current efforts and then motivate new work that could be carried out in China via a collaboration between universities and larger institutes using a mix of novel lab-scale facilities, development of in-situ PMI diagnostics, and coordinated work on confinement devices.

George R. Tynan
Associate Dean, Jacobs School of Engineering
Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Faculty, Center for Energy Research
Basic and applied plasma physics.
Professor Tynan's current research is focused on the plasma physics of controlled nuclear fusion as an energy source. He studies the fundamental physics of turbulent transport in hot confined plasmas using both smaller scaled laboratory plasma devices as well as large scale fusion experiments located around the world. In addition, he is investigating how solid material surfaces interact with the boundary region of fusion plasmas, and how the materials are modified by that interaction. He is also interested in the larger issue of transitioning to a sustainable energy economy based upon a mixture of efficient end use technologies, large scale deployment of renewable energy sources, and incorporation of a new generation of nuclear technologies such as advanced fission and fusion reactor systems. He is preparing a textbook on these topics to introduce science and engineering students to this critical issue.
Capsule Bio:
George R. Tynan received his Ph.D. in 1991 from the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles. He then spent several years studying the effect of sheared flows on plasma turbulence on experiments located in the Federal Republic of Germany and at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. He then worked in industry developing plasma sources for use in investigating the creation of nano-meter scale semiconductor circuits, and joined the UCSD faculty in 1999.