Recent Advances in Materials for Molten Salt Nuclear Reactor Technology

Dear Colleagues,

Molten salts are receiving increasing attention worldwide as key materials for sustainable and low-carbon energy technologies in relation with their appealing thermochemical and thermophysical properties. Areas of technological application include, for instance, thermal energy storage and concentrated solar power systems, nuclear fission and fusion reactors, the electrochemical recycling of spent nuclear fuel, electrolytes for fuel cells and molten metal batteries, etc. In particular, the interest in nuclear molten salt reactor (MSR) technology, where molten salts are used both for the nuclear fuel and coolant materials, is growing very rapidly.

The development of the MSR technology towards commercialization requires a thorough safety analysis of all components of the reactor during operation and accident conditions, especially of the molten salt fuel, coolant, and structural materials that are subject to extreme conditions (e.g., high temperatures, irradiation, and corrosive environment) during reactor operation, as well as their interaction.

We invite investigators to contribute original research or review articles reporting recent advances in the materials developed for MSR designs, including fuel and coolant salt synthesis, thermochemical and thermophysical properties, phase equilibria, thermodynamic modelling assessments, modelling and simulation of transport properties (e.g., density, viscosity, thermal conductivity), performance of structural materials with respect to corrosion at high temperature and radiation damage, unraveling of the degradation processes etc. This Special Issue aims especially at highlighting the relationships between structure and properties in the aforementioned research areas. Papers including modelling, simulation and experimental studies are all welcome.

It is our pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript for this Special Issue. Full papers, communications, and reviews are all welcome.

Dr. Anna Smith
Dr. Aimen Gheribi
Guest Editors

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