The University of Tennessee, Knoxville's Tickle College of Engineering has been awarded a $20 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for a groundbreaking project led by UT-Oak Ridge National Laboratory Governor's Chair for Nuclear Materials Steve Zinkle. The project, known as the Integrated Materials Program to Accelerate Chamber Technologies, or IMPACT, aims to revolutionize the design and manufacturing of high-performance materials for fusion energy systems.

"We are excited to embark on this ambitious program," Zinkle said. "Our assembled multidisciplinary team includes experts with a demonstrated track record of using science-based methods to rapidly design, fabricate and deploy advanced structural materials."

One of the biggest challenges in making fusion energy commercially viable is the lack of nuclear-code-qualified high-temperature structural materials that can be used in fusion reactors. IMPACT aims to create a process and database for the first-ever American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel code qualification for a fusion material and to demonstrate how these new materials can more quickly move from code qualification to engineering application.

UT has one of the best nuclear engineering programs in the country, including a new minor that launched in fall 2024. The IMPACT team led by Zinkle includes three other Tickle College of Engineering faculty members: Eric Lass, an assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering; Bradley Jared, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering; and Khalid Hattar, an associate professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering.

The DOE launched the FIRE Collaboratives initiative last year to establish collaborative networks that bridge the gap between fusion research and industry.

FIRE Collaboratives consist of teams from government facilities, academia and industry that come together to address technical challenges on the road to commercial fusion development. Through the FIRE Collaboratives, the DOE hopes to accelerate the transition of scientific discoveries into commercial fusion applications.

The other institutions involved in the project are Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Stony Brook University; the University of Michigan; Northwestern University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; the University of California, Santa Barbara; Idaho National Laboratory; the University of Miami; and the University of California, Los Angeles.

Contact

Jennifer Johnson (865-974-4448, [email protected])

Rhiannon Potkey (865-974-0683, [email protected])