Development of foam materials for cryogenically cooled fuel targets is described in this paper. The fabrication development was initiated as a part of the fast ignition realization experiment (FIREX) project at the ILE, Osaka University under a bilateral collaboration between Osaka University and National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS). For the first stage of FIREX (FIREX-I), a foam cryogenic target was designed in which low-density foam shells with a conical light guide will be fuelled through a narrow pipe and will be cooled down to the cryogenic temperature. Acrylic polymer, resorcinol–formaldehyde (RF) resin, poly(4-methyl-1-pentene) (PMP), and polystyrene-based crosslinking polymer have been investigated as supporting materials for cryogenic fuel. The properties of the material and the present status of the material development are summarized.
Issues in capsule fabrication and injection into a wet-walled IFE reactor