Abstract Open issues for fusion reactor technology are related to the breeder material to be used for the nuclear fusion reaction. Despite in the last decades several studies were carried out, the selection, characterization and reliability of breeder material are still open issues. In this study, the attention is focused on the production of lithium orthosilicate (Li4SiO4) by means of drip casting method. The feasibility of this method was verified using an experimental rig designed and constructed purposely at the Pisa University, Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering (DICI). The green pebbles were produced starting from a suspension of Li4SiO4 precursors (i.e. LiOH and Si(OCH2CH3)4) prepared by sol-gel method. These pebbles were dried at 40 °C for 4 h, and then sintered in air at 900 °C for 10 h. The morphological and physical properties of the obtained pebbles were analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray and compression tests. The X-ray results showed the main characteristic peaks of Li4SiO4 crystalline phase and small peaks attributable to calcium metasilicate, while the SEM analysis showed a homogeneous and uniform structure of the pebbles. The obtained preliminary results showed the feasibility of dripping at room temperature and provided further useful information for the optimization of the process.

中文翻译：

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滴注法制备 Li4SiO4 卵石的可行性和初步表征

摘要 聚变反应堆技术的悬而未决的问题与用于核聚变反应的增殖材料有关。尽管在过去的几十年中进行了几项研究，但育种材料的选择、表征和可靠性仍然是悬而未决的问题。在这项研究中，注意力集中在通过滴注法生产正硅酸锂 (Li4SiO4) 上。使用比萨大学土木与工业工程系 (DICI) 特意设计和建造的实验台验证了该方法的可行性。从通过溶胶-凝胶法制备的 Li4SiO4 前体（即 LiOH 和 Si(OCH2CH3)4）的悬浮液开始生产绿色鹅卵石。这些卵石在 40°C 下干燥 4 小时，然后在空气中在 900°C 下烧结 10 小时。通过扫描电子显微镜 (SEM)、X 射线和压缩试验分析获得的卵石的形态和物理性质。X 射线结果显示 Li4SiO4 晶相的主要特征峰和可归因于偏硅酸钙的小峰，而 SEM 分析显示鹅卵石的均匀和均匀结构。获得的初步结果表明在室温下滴注的可行性，并为工艺优化提供了进一步有用的信息。