Nuclear energy researchers from the United Kingdom's University of Nottingham are playing the part of metal matchmakers with help from an advanced 3D printer. 

The unlikely couple consists of tungsten and copper, two metals with important qualities that make them well-suited for fusion reactor components. But combining them has proved difficult, according to a university news release. 

A successful meshing could help the U.K. meet an ambitious goal of bringing a fusion prototype plant online by 2040. The project is called the Design of Interfaces for Additively Engineered Metamaterial, or DIADEM, and the research group includes experts from a collection of U.K. energy agencies and companies, including Rolls-Royce.

It's coming at a crucial time, as energy demand is growing all over the world. Utility rates in the United States are rising twice as fast as inflation, for reference.

Fusion reactions — the same atom-combining process that powers the sun — generate 100-million-degree heat, requiring advanced chambers to contain them. The high temperatures are used to make steam that powers a turbine for electricity generation. The upside is near-limitless energy without harmful air pollution, long-lived radioactive waste, or meltdown risks, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. 

A big hurdle has been sustaining the reactions at an affordable cost. For the metals' part, tungsten is resilient, and copper is conductive in high-heat settings, making them well-suited for fusion machines — when mixed. But since they have different melting points, the marriage hasn't been easy.

"Joining two dissimilar metals has been a critical problem for the fusion sector," Nottingham Professor Richard Hague said. 

In response, the team is using multi-metal laser powder bed fusion. Interesting Engineering reported that the materials are being 3D-printed from the ground up, blending them at the molecular level to create a "metamaterial."

The experts hope the result is more durable metals for fusion reactors that don't crack or show stress as easily as other materials. 

"By pioneering new ways to fuse metals for extreme environments, this project is helping to tackle one of fusion energy's toughest challenges," expert Kedar Pandya said in the release. Pandya is the executive director for strategy at the U.K. Research and Innovation's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, which is funding the project. 

What's the most you'd pay per month to put solar panels on your roof if there was no down payment? $200 or more 💰 $100 💸 $30 💵 I'd only do it if someone else paid for it 😎 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Nuclear energy remains a debated energy source. The United States government reported that common fission reactors provide about 20% of the country's electricity. Like fusion, fission doesn't produce air pollution. But it produces long-lasting radioactive waste and poses well-documented risks of meltdown.

Spent fuel is often mischaracterized as ooze, but it is, in fact, small ceramic pellets. The U.S. makes enough to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool each year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Proponents have said the waste is manageable and that accidents are rare. 

The Union of Concerned Scientists cited safety, security, and costs as setbacks for the technology. Projects can cost billions of dollars without sustained energy production. And New York financial advisory firm Lazard last year reported that solar and wind projects are the cheapest, fastest energy sources to develop to meet growing power demand. 

By researching the types of energy, their costs, and environmental impacts, you will be better informed about which ones have the best chance of safely operating in your neighborhood. Home solar, for example, can help homeowners achieve energy independence immediately. 

At the University of Nottingham, the DIADEM project is just getting started. If the team can successfully marry tungsten and copper, it could yield a new material that helps make fusion a scalable energy source.

"By mastering multi-metal additive manufacturing, we're opening the door to a new generation of engineered materials," Hague said.

Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips to save more, waste less, and make smarter choices — and earn up to $5,000 toward clean upgrades in TCD's exclusive Rewards Club.