Metallic Materials
Innovative material development for the energy of the future.
Head of Deparment: Dr. Michael Rieth
Our research and development work is part of large-scale research and makes an important contribution to energy research at national and European level. As a partner in the Helmholtz Association's energy program and a member of the EUROfusion large-scale research project, we are actively shaping the future of nuclear fusion.
Focus
We develop structural and functional materials that can withstand extreme conditions. These include high temperatures and heat fluxes, as well as high-energy neutron radiation in combination with mechanical, chemical, or time-critical loads. The material properties are tailored by us for each specific application case. In this way, we open up new applications and areas of use in the field of energy conversion. Typical examples include components of a fusion power plant, such as plasma-facing components (divertor), heat exchangers (blanket), and neutron multipliers (tritium breeding elements).
Competence
Our research is application-oriented and, above all, takes place under the aspects of large-scale research. Therefore, alongside sustainability and cost-effectiveness, the focus is particularly on the use of industrial production, forming, joining, and manufacturing technologies. Starting from an idea, our materials development encompasses theoretical modelling, thermodynamic and thermo-mechanical simulations, production in the laboratory and on an industrial scale, experimental characterization of all relevant properties, microstructural and chemical analyses, the manufacturing of prototypes (semi-finished products and mockups), as well as component testing under the respective operating conditions. Our goal is to provide novel materials, including the materials technology process parameters and key characteristics required for production and component manufacturing.
Network
Despite our focus on materials for very specific applications, the boundary conditions, requirements, and properties to be considered are very complex and diverse. So not all necessary investigations and experiments can be carried out within our department. Therefore, we collaborate closely with a variety of partners from KIT, industry, and other research institutions both domestically and internationally. In particular, the characterization and testing of prototypes requires access to large-scale facilities, such as test reactors for neutron irradiation: : HFIR, BR2, or experimental setups for the investigation of plasma-material interactions: HELOKA, ASDEX, GLADIS, JUDITH & JULE-PSI.
Automated modeling and validation
Group
Publicationslist
Theodoridou, E.; Dong, R.; King, C. C.; Poludniowski, G.; Häring, P.; Hain, E.; Litou, C.; Voutou, E.; Foka, P.; Sammut, N.; Seco, J.; Spadea, M. F.
2026. Physica Medica, 141, 105708. doi:10.1016/j.ejmp.2025.105708
Schwarz, H.; Kotthoff, L.; Hoos, H.; Fichtner, W.; Bertsch, V.
2025. Annals of Operations Research, 354, 1285–1306. doi:10.1007/s10479-018-3122-6
Bragaggia, G.; Rosato, F.; Nikitin, T.; Fausto, R.; Prato, M.; Primavera, A.; Giacomini, G.; Soldà, L.; Tapparo, A.; Sandon, A.; Lavagnolo, M. C.; Gross, S.
2026. ChemSusChem, 19 (6), 15 S. doi:10.1002/cssc.202502013
Altmann, R.; Dörich, B.; Zimmer, C.
2026. Mathematics of Computation. doi:10.1090/mcom/4194
He, Q.; Xing, J.; Chen, X.; Wang, F.; Zhao, Y.
2026. ACS Energy Letters, 11 (2), 1397–1422. doi:10.1021/acsenergylett.5c03494
Malik, Y. T.; Yang, J.; Choi, J.; Dalla Corte, D. A.; Tobis, M.; Strauss, F.; Fleischmann, S.
2026. ACS Energy Letters, 11 (2), 1651–1658. doi:10.1021/acsenergylett.5c02943
Liu, X.; Zhou, X.; Du, S.; Duan, W.; Feng, G.; Xu, C.; Jian, Z.-C.; Xu, H.; Zhang, B.; Liu, H.; Xiao, Y.; Xiang, W.
2026. ACS Energy Letters, 11 (2), 2083–2092. doi:10.1021/acsenergylett.5c03896
Alonso, M. A.; Rockstuhl, C.
2026. Optics Letters, 51 (2), ED1. doi:10.1364/OL.589579
Li, N.; Pratap, S.; Guo, R.; He, Z.; Liang, S.; Jia, X.; Gholipoor, M.; Babbe, F.; Barchi, N. S.; Slack, J. L.; Tamura, N.; Qiao, L.; Sutter-Fella, C. M.; Müller-Buschbaum, P.
2025. Energy & Environmental Science, 18 (24), 10460–10472. doi:10.1039/d5ee05540g
Teetz, N.; Schönrock, S.; Holtmann, D.
2026. Molecular Catalysis, 589, Art.-Nr. 115593. doi:10.1016/j.mcat.2025.115593
van Panhuys, M.; Jadreškić, D.
2026. European Journal for Philosophy of Science, 16 (1), 19. doi:10.1007/s13194-026-00730-3
Schmidt, L.; Hankins, K.; Valenzuela, J.; Windiks, R.; Lindner, A.; Witzel, R.; Qiu, Y.; Knobbe, E.; Krewer, U.
2026. Chemical Science, 17 (18), 9049–9060. doi:10.1039/d6sc00426a
Krajewska, M.; Nguyen, M. N.; Schäfer, A. I.
2026. Environmental Science & Technology, 60 (10), 8193–8204. doi:10.1021/acs.est.5c14077
Guo, H.; Sotoudeh, M.; Rezeki, S.; Hu, Y.; Leiter, R.; Wellmann, J.; Fichtner, M.; Oschatz, M.; Groß, A.; Fleischmann, S.
2026. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 65 (4), 12 S. doi:10.1002/anie.202520990
Münzer, P.; de Oliveira Campos, B. L.; Arnold, U.; Sauer, J.
2026. Energy Conversion and Management, 353, 121216. doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121216
Nakade, R. K.; Singh, S.; Dhadphale, J. M.; Sujith, R. I.
2026. Physical Review E, 113 (1), Art.Nr: 014208. doi:10.1103/kf5z-xy15
Bineli Betsi, T.; Kelepile, T.; Shindo, K.; Mapeo, R. B.; Camacho, A.
2026. Journal of African Earth Sciences, 234, 4 S. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2025.105928
Thuy, V. T. T.; Hao, L. T.; Kim, H. J.; Voll, D.; Theato, P.
2026. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 18 (7), 11008–11021. doi:10.1021/acsami.5c24574
Simon, A.; Pauly, N.; Daher, K.; Jouanneaud, R.; Bideux, L.; Monier, G.; Robert-Goumet, C.; Benayad, A.
2026. Surface and Interface Analysis, 58 (2), 118–124. doi:10.1002/sia.70041
Jia, X.; Zhu, J.; Knapp, M.; Wang, X.; Yu, C.; Xu, W.; Wu, H.; Ehrenberg, H.; Wei, X.; Dai, H.
2026. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 225, Art.Nr: 116126. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2025.116126