4 ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JULY/AUGUST 2025 ASM International 9639 Kinsman Road, Materials Park, OH 44073 Tel: 440.338.5151 • Fax: 440.338.4634 Joanne Miller, Editor joanne.miller@asminternational.org Victoria Burt, Managing Editor vicki.burt@asminternational.org Frances Richards and Corinne Richards Contributing Editors Anne Vidmar, Layout and Design Allison Freeman, Production Manager allie.freeman@asminternational.org EDITORIAL COMMITTEE John Shingledecker, Chair, EPRI Beth Armstrong, Vice Chair, Oak Ridge National Lab Adam Farrow, Past Chair, Los Alamos National Lab Yun Bai, Ford Rajan Bhambroo, Tenneco Inc. Punnathat Bordeenithikasem, Machina Labs Daniel Grice, Materials Evaluation & Engineering Surojit Gupta, University of North Dakota Michael Hoerner, KnightHawk Engineering Hideyuki Kanematsu, Suzuka National College of Technology Ibrahim Karaman, Texas A&M University Ricardo Komai, Tesla Krassimir Marchev, Northeastern University Bhargavi Mummareddy, Dimensional Energy Scott Olig, U.S. Naval Research Lab Christian Paglia, SUPSI Institute of Materials and Construction Satyam Sahay, John Deere Technology Center India Abhijit Sengupta, USA Federal Government Kumar Sridharan, University of Wisconsin Vasisht Venkatesh, Pratt & Whitney ASM BOARD OF TRUSTEES Navin Manjooran, President and Chair Elizabeth Ho man, Senior Vice President Daniel P. Dennies, Vice President Pradeep Goyal, Immediate Past President Lawrence Somrack, Treasurer Amber Black Pierpaolo Carlone Rahul Gupta Hanchen Huang André McDonald Victoria Miller Christopher J. Misorski Dehua Yang Fan Zhang Veronica Becker, Executive Director STUDENT BOARD MEMBERS Gladys Duran Duran, Amanda Smith, Nathaniel Tomas Individual readers of Advanced Materials & Processes may, without charge, make single copies of pages therefrom for personal or archival use, or may freely make such copies in such numbers as are deemed useful for educational or research purposes and are not for sale or resale. Permission is granted to cite or quote from articles herein, provided customary acknowledgment of the authors and source is made. The acceptance and publication of manuscripts in Advanced Materials & Processes does not imply that the reviewers, editors, or publisher accept, approve, or endorse the data, opinions, and conclusions of the authors. FISSION AND FUSION GUARDRAILS In the high mountain desert region of New Mexico, the Los Alamos area was selected by J. Robert Oppenheimer and General Leslie Groves as an ideal location for nuclear materials research in the early 1940s. As part of the Manhattan Project, some ready-made buildings at what came to be known as the Pajarito Site were easily converted into labs and offices to accommodate foundational uranium and plutonium research. In 1944 and 1945, battleship bunkers were added to meet the unique needs of implosion testing. The bunkers provided essential protection to the researchers and surrounding area during these dangerous tests. To honor the pivotal role it played in atomic research, the Pajarito Site was named an ASM Historical Landmark this year. Read more about it in our ASM News section honoring all the 2025 ASM awardees. A plaque bearing the new landmark designation will be installed at the entrance to the New Mexico site, further cementing its significance to the development of nuclear research. Still today, advancements are being made to nuclear energy safeguards. Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) recently received a U.S. patent for its radially oriented honeycomb structures. This exceptionally strong container design was created by forming a cylindrical structure with multiple radially aligned layers of strips of honeycomb cells. The new technology allows for greater wall thickness than previously possible. It will be used in radioactive material packaging applications where it will absorb impact energy should an accident occur. This high-strength barrier will prevent any release of hazardous materials in packaging and transportation operations. Switching gears from fission to fusion, next we explore today’s emerging energy focus. Excitement around the initial successful fusion shot at the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in December 2022 was further buoyed by a second achievement of ignition in July 2023. Fusion energy proved possible. As with nuclear research, the next phase requires more materials testing to ensure the fusion’s safe containment. In AM&P September 2023, we featured an article by SRNL and LLNL discussing some of the next steps required in moving to successful commercial fusion energy. The authors presented the materials challenges of a fusion pilot plant. They proposed some polymer options for use as sealants, adhesives, and in mechanical assemblies within a power plant, as these materials would allow for long-term performance under extreme conditions. Another phase of research on similar protections is discussed in the lead article of this issue. Scientists from the Advanced Research Projects AgencyEnergy are working to accelerate the discovery of new materials that can withstand the harsh conditions found in commercial fusion reactors. One option is a first wall barrier made of liquid metal. Lessons learned from nuclear energy development are applicable to today’s fusion research. The design and strength of containers and first walls are critical. Materials solutions will provide those powerful safeguards. joanne.miller@asminternational.org SRNL’s cylindrical structure in a container.
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