All articles tagged with #tungsten
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.
A new study traces the deep-time origins of molybdenum and tungsten use in biology, reconstructing when Mo- and W-dependent enzymes, their cofactor biosynthesis, and transport systems first appeared. Molecular dating places Mo/W utilization back to the early Archaean (~3.7–3.1 billion years ago), suggesting that Mo-based biochemistry was already shaping early microbial evolution despite purportedly limited Mo availability in ancient oceans and highlighting the ancient link between Mo cofactors and nitrogenase-driven nitrogen fixation.
The Sangdong mine in South Korea, one of the world's largest tungsten deposits, is set to reopen and supply the U.S. with a critical mineral essential for defense technology, reducing reliance on China amid geopolitical tensions.