While conventional ceramics may not be ideal for the superheated and high neutron flux core of a tokamak reactor, they are being explored for specific components in fusion systems. E.g. the breeder blanket, magnetic confinement system, water cooling, electrical and sensor control, high power energy sources for inertial confinement systems etc. The breeder blanket for example, surrounds the plasma chamber and performs several key functions: Tritium Breeding: Fusion reactors typically use a fuel mixture of deuterium and tritium. Tritium is not readily available in nature, so the reactor needs to breed its own tritium fuel. Lithium-containing ceramics are being investigated as a potential material for the blanket. These ceramics would contain lithium, which can be bombarded by neutrons from the fusion reaction to generate tritium. Here’s how it works: Neutrons from the plasma chamber hit the lithium in the ceramic blanket.
The neutrons cause the lithium to undergo nuclear reactions, producing tritium.
The tritium can then be extracted and used as fuel for the fusion reaction. This is still under development, but it highlights a potential application of ceramics in tokamak reactors.