Review of microfluidic solutions for mass production of ICF targets.

Overview & Synopsis

Since the achievement of ignition at the National Ignition Facility in 2022, interest in Inertial Fusion Energy has grown, particularly for its potential to enable low-carbon energy production in the context of climate change. Among the key technological challenges, the fabrication of fuel targets remains critical. These multilayer spherical capsules must meet strict specifications: a diameter from less than 1mm to more than 5mm, sphericity (>99.9%), concentricity (>99%), and nanometric surface roughness. Additionally, each reactor is expected to consume between 0.5 and 1 million targets per day, requiring high-throughput production (multi-Hz). In this context, microfluidics emerges as a promising approach, capable of generating high-frequency (>20Hz) monodisperse double emulsions while integrating key fabrication steps into a continuous process. This review provides an overview of the state-of-the-art microfluidic technologies developed for Inertial Fusion Energy target fabrication, assessing their maturity and remaining technological barriers.