As an advanced alternative to solid materials, Liquid Metals (LM) may offer more resilient and feasible Plasma Facing Components (PFCs). Particularly, regarding the unavoidable material erosion/degradation produced by particle/heat fluxes in future fusion devices where much longer duty cycles are expected. Furthermore, configurations that propose a flowing LM surface can add the advantage of a continuously fresh and clean layer facing the plasma. Although lithium is the most widely tested option, tin-lithium (SnLi) alloys have been proposed to attempt to combine the positive characteristics of both pure elements and ameliorate the specific issues of lithium. In this work, the potential use of Sn₇₀Li₃₀ alloy in such flowing concepts has been explored by addressing several preliminary and mandatory aspects for its utilization. Key issues such as wettability and compatibility of the alloy with relevant substrates have been studied in a multidisciplinary approach. The data obtained from deposited liquid tin-lithium droplets indicates approximate wetting temperatures of 360 °C, 390 °C and 405 °C for the fresh alloy on 316 stainless steel, molybdenum, and tungsten, respectively. However, the alloy contamination appeared to strongly affect the wetting characteristics of materials, increasing their wetting temperature by ~130 °C in the worst observed cases. Interestingly, in some instances, the instability of the liquid alloy surface was observed in the form of sudden gaseous ejection. The deposited droplets were posteriorly characterized in terms of absolute composition and depth profile by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS-ToF). Additionally, the nature and composition of the boundaries between the substrates and alloy microparticles was investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS), and 3D Laser microscopy. The overall results of this post-mortem characterization revealed that first signs of corrosion induced by both alloy elements (lithium-chromium association and iron-tin intermetallic mixing) were present on 316 stainless steel after short exposures (≤3 h) at temperatures lower than 550 °C. Conversely, molybdenum and tungsten showed good compatibility with the alloy in equivalent conditions. The global implications of these results are finally addressed, focusing on the future perspectives and the more viable scenarios for the eventual utilization of these alloys in flowing liquid metal configurations.

作为固态材料的高级替代品，液态金属（LM）可以提供更具弹性和可行性的等离子面对组件（PFC）。特别地，关于在未来的聚变装置中不可避免地由颗粒/热通量产生的材料腐蚀/降解，在未来的聚变装置中，期望更长的占空比。此外，提出流动的LM表面的配置可以增加面对等离子体的连续新鲜清洁层的优势。尽管锂是经过最广泛测试的选择，但已提出锡锂（SnLi）合金以试图结合纯元素的积极特性并改善锂的特定问题。在这项工作中，Sn ₇₀ Li ₃₀的潜在用途已经通过解决几个初步的和强制性的方面来探索这种流动概念中的合金。已通过多学科方法研究了关键问题，例如合金的润湿性和与相关基材的相容性。从沉积的液态锡锂液滴获得的数据表明，新鲜合金在316不锈钢，钼和钨上的大约润湿温度分别为360°C，390°C和405°C。但是，合金污染似乎会严重影响材料的润湿特性，在观察到的最坏情况下，其润湿温度会增加〜130°C。有趣的是，在某些情况下，以突然的气体喷射形式观察到液态合金表面的不稳定性。通过电感耦合等离子体发射光谱法（ICP-OES）和二次离子质谱法（SIMS-ToF）对沉积的液滴进行绝对成分和深度分布的表征。此外，通过扫描电子显微镜（SEM），能量色散X射线光谱（EDS）和3D激光显微镜研究了基材和合金微粒之间边界的性质和组成。事后表征的总体结果表明，在低于30℃的温度下短时间暴露（≤3 h）后，两种合金元素（锂-铬缔合和铁锡金属间混合）引起的腐蚀的最初迹象出现在316不锈钢上。 550℃。相反，钼和钨在同等条件下与合金具有良好的相容性。