Nuclear fusion holds the promise of providing an almost limitless and clean energy source; however, realizing a sustainable and commercially viable fusion reactor remains a formidable challenge. A major limitation lies in the thermal performance of plasma-facing components (PFCs) in tokamaks. While solid plasma-facing materials (PFMs) have been extensively studied, their inherent constraints under extreme fusion conditions have prompted growing interest in liquid metal PFMs. Among these, liquid lithium has emerged as a particularly promising candidate due to its low atomic number and excellent thermal properties. This review traces the development of liquid lithium PFC concepts, with a focus on the Lithium Metal Infused Trench (LiMIT) system. It examines the complex interactions between liquid lithium and magnetic fields, highlighting the resulting magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) and thermoelectric magnetohydrodynamic (TEMHD) phenomena. Both experimental and computational studies reveal the potential of liquid lithium systems, as well as the associated challenges, including dryout under high heat flux and the need for optimized channel designs. This review provides a comprehensive overview of tokamak liquid metal technology and identifies critical areas for future research, with the ultimate goal of enabling the practical deployment of liquid lithium-based PFCs in fusion reactors.
Keywords: Nuclear fusion, Plasma-facing components (PFCs), Liquid lithium, Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), Tokamak, Heat flux, Lithium Metal Infused Trench (LiMIT), Thermoelectric magnetohydrodynamics (TEMHD).
Citation: Shafiq, M. et al., (2026). Liquid Metal Technologies for Next-Generation Tokamak Applications. I J T C Physics, 7(1):1-6. DOI : https://doi.org/10.47485/2767-3901.1073