Compatibility of Molybdenum with Liquid Tin at 1050°C: Comparison of Theoretical Estimates with Experimental Observations

Liquid tin is considered to be a promising plasma-facing material used in intra-chamber components of a stationary fusion reactor. Since corrosion in liquid tin is largely due to dissolution of solid metals in liquid tin, the solubility and thermodynamic activity of the main components of the structural material are key parameters for understanding corrosion processes. The solubility of the transition metals Fe, Cr, Nb, Mo, and W in liquid tin has been theoretically calculated and the results obtained have been compared with the experimental data from the literature. The results of experiments on the compatibility of molybdenum with liquid tin at 1050°C are reported. The results obtained agree well with the computational estimate and provide an optimistic basis for continuing the investigations on a wider time basis under the conditions similar to those for in-chamber tokamak components.