Energy

In the race to achieve carbon-free commercial fusion energy, one stumbling block has been that key structural metals inside proposed fusion reactors can fail in just a few months. MIT engineers have demonstrated that adding nanoparticles of certain ceramics to the metals can protect them from damage and significantly extend their lifetime. Above: Professor Ju Li (right) and postdoc So Yeon Kim examine samples of the composite they have fabricated for their demonstrations. Credit: Gretchen Ertl

Analysis and materials identified by NSE’s Bilge Yildiz and other MIT engineers could lead to more energy-efficient fuel cells, electrolyzers, batteries, or computing devices.

A lauded professor, theoretical physicist, and fusion scientist, Loureiro is keenly positioned to advance the center’s research and education goals.Loureiro succeeds Dennis Whyte, who stepped down at the end of 2023.

Work by MIT engineers could lead to plethora of new applications, including better detectors for nuclear materials at ports.

MIT scientists have tackled key obstacles to bringing 2D magnetic materials into practical use, setting the stage for the next generation of energy-efficient computers.

Detailed study of magnets built by MIT and Commonwealth Fusion Systems confirms they meet requirements for an economic, compact fusion power plant.

NSE’s Thanh Nguyen and Mingda Li with an MIT team precisely controlled an ultrathin magnet at room temperature, which could enable faster, more efficient processors and computer memories.

NSE’s Associate Professor Michael Short and postdoc Dr. Weiyue Zhou have demonstrated that proton irradiation decreases the rate of corrosion in certain metal alloys. This is potentially good news for designers and builders of promising nuclear power reactors that rely on molten salts, which tend to be highly corrosive.

In 2010, when Ericmoore Jossou was attending college in northern Nigeria, the lights would flicker in and out all day, sometimes lasting only for a couple of hours at a time. The frustrating experience reaffirmed Jossou’s realization that the country’s sporadic energy...

NSE graduate students Assil Halimi, Gyutae Park, Isabel Naranjo De Candido, and Loukas Carayannopoulos were recognized for their project titled “Design Optimization of an Organic-Cooled Light-Water-Moderated Micro-Reactor for Electricity and Hydrogen Generation”.