| Abstract Scope |
Tungsten (W) is a leading plasma-facing material (PFM) for fusion tokamaks but with limited mechanical performance. Previous studies have shown that dispersion strengthening effectively improves ductility and suppresses grain growth in W. PFMs must withstand coupled extremes, including intense neutron irradiation, plasma exposure, and high thermal loads. Our work demonstrates that dispersion strengthening also enhances W’s tolerance to both high heat flux and radiation damage. Dispersion-strengthened tungsten (DSW) reinforced with transition metal carbide dispersoids (TiC, ZrC, or TaC) was exposed to heat fluxes up to 0.38 GW m⁻². While pure W exhibited severe surface cracking, DSW showed no obvious surface damage. Following 200 keV He ion irradiation to 4.5 × 10¹⁷ ions cm⁻² at 850 °C, large bubbles formed along grain boundaries in W, whereas bubble formation was suppressed near W–carbide interfaces. Different dispersoids provide distinct benefits, and high-entropy carbides offer a promising pathway toward balanced DSW performance. |