Neon-Plasma Cleaning Boosts Fusion-Wall Purity to 87% In Situ

Researchers used neon plasma at 800°C inside a vacuum chamber to clean contaminated porous tungsten wall tiles inside a nuclear fusion reactor. The treatment removes bound carbon and oxygen and drives surface purity from 0% to 87% metallic tungsten, happening entirely within the reactor to avoid air exposure and preserve liquid-metal channels, a step that could streamline in-situ maintenance for future fusion power.