Ángel Ibarra: Functional Materials to Turn Fusion into Industrial Reality

This article has been translated using artificial intelligence

Fusion energy is one of the most ambitious technological promises of the 21st century.

But for it to stop being a dream and become a real energy solution, we need to understand it, talk about it, and make strategic decisions. That’s the goal of this article series from the Fundación Innovación Bankinter, born out of the Future Trends Forum Fusion Forward, where more than 20 international experts tackled the major challenges and opportunities that this technology presents.

In previous articles, we explored the challenges of technological integration, the importance of remote maintenance, and the vision of private-sector players. In this issue, we focus on one of the most critical aspects: materials. Ángel Ibarra, Director of the IFMIF-DONES Spain project -the European facility that will validate materials in environments similar to those inside a fusion reactor- warns that the feasibility of these technologies depends on their resilience under extreme conditions.

And he issues a warning: if Europe wants to lead the future of fusion, it must treat materials development as a strategic industrial priority. Because without materials capable of withstanding pressure, radiation, and extreme heat, no reactor will ever make it to the power grid.

If you want to watch Ángel Ibarra’s presentation, you can do so in this video:

Ángel Ibarra: “Development and Validation of Functional Materials” #FusionForward

Competitive Fusion: Three Non-Negotiable Conditions

Ángel Ibarra is clear from the start: “It’s not enough to make fusion work in a lab. It has to be viable, efficient, and scalable if we want it to become part of the energy mix.”

To achieve that, he identifies three pillars that must advance together. These are not independent goals, but interdependent conditions. If one fails, the entire system falters.

1. Tritium: Beyond Self-Sufficiency

Fusion fuel is a mix of deuterium -abundant in nature- and tritium, which is extremely scarce. That scarcity forces reactors to produce their own tritium during operation, creating a closed, self-sustaining cycle through systems like breeding blankets, which generate tritium by exposing lithium to neutrons.

But Ibarra makes a key point: self-sufficiency is not enough. If the goal is to deploy hundreds of reactors within a few decades, we cannot rely on the tritium generated by the first reactors to power the next ones.
We need an industrial-scale tritium strategy—one capable of producing the fuel externally and at scale.

Today, there’s no clear solution to this challenge. Without it, the transition toward a fusion-based energy economy could stall before it begins. This strategic bottleneck demands targeted R&D, coordinated investment, and an urgent international roadmap.

2. High Operational Availability: Reactors That Run Almost All the Time

In fusion, turning the reactor on is only the first step. To compete with other energy technologies, it must operate at least 90% of the time.
Why does that matter? Because operational uptime determines the cost per megawatt-hour produced. A reactor that runs only 20% of the time faces unsustainable costs in construction, maintenance, and operation.

Achieving such high availability requires tackling several challenges simultaneously:

• Redundant designs, so the reactor keeps running even with partial failures.
• Remote maintenance systems, capable of replacing worn or damaged parts quickly and safely, with minimal downtime.
• Ultra-resistant materials that can endure years of extreme heat, radiation, and pressure without degrading.

Availability, therefore, becomes a systemic integration parameter, where physics, engineering, and robotics must work in perfect coordination.

3. Energy Efficiency: The Hidden Deal-Breaker

Often overlooked, efficiency is what will ultimately determine whether fusion can generate electricity profitably.
Ibarra insists that we must measure not just the energy produced in the reaction, but the amount that actually reaches the grid.

Efficiency depends on two main factors:

• Internal energy consumption: cooling systems, magnetic fields, maintenance, and other auxiliary functions.
• Thermal-to-electric conversion efficiency—how much of the generated heat becomes usable electricity.

The latter hinges on the operating temperature of the heat-extraction system. Higher temperatures boost efficiency—but also push materials to their limits.
It’s a delicate technical balance: increasing performance means subjecting the reactor to ever more extreme conditions.

And here, the argument comes full circle: we need materials capable of withstanding those extremes—not just for hours or days, but for decades.

IFMIF-DONES: Validating Materials to Make Fusion a Reality

All this technical vision converges on one key point: materials must be tested under real reactor conditions.
That’s exactly the mission of the project led by Ángel Ibarra — IFMIF-DONES (International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility – DEMO Oriented NEutron Source).

Located in Granada, Spain, and supported by the European Commission, IFMIF-DONES will be a one-of-a-kind scientific infrastructure, essential to the European roadmap toward commercial fusion.

Its main features include:

• A high-power deuteron beam that strikes a stream of liquid lithium, generating neutrons with energies similar to those inside a fusion reactor.
• An advanced irradiation system to expose structural and functional materials to extreme radiation, temperature, and corrosion — and study their long-term behavior.
• The ability to accelerate decades of material aging tests into just a few months, delivering reliable data for the design of future reactors such as DEMO.

But DONES is more than science. Its potential extends far beyond the laboratory.
It’s a strategic industrial catalyst, capable of creating a high-value technological ecosystem — and positioning Europe at the forefront of the global fusion race.

A Strategic Opportunity to Position Spain as a Leader in Fusion

IFMIF-DONES represents a strategic lever for Spain – and particularly for Andalusia. Around it, a vibrant ecosystem is already taking shape, built on several key pillars:

• Tech startups specializing in robotics, instrumentation, sensors, and advanced materials.
• Research and innovation centers connected to universities (UGR, UPM, UC3M, UPC) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).
• Industrial companies developing and testing frontier components under real conditions.
• Investors and venture capital funds increasingly interested in deeptech solutions tied to the energy transition.

As Ibarra puts it, “DONES is not an isolated facility -it’s a node in an expanding ecosystem that could place Spain among the world leaders in fusion technology.”

The project is already creating a multiplier effect in high-skilled employment, international talent attraction, and technology transfer. Once operational, IFMIF-DONES is expected to generate over 1,000 direct and indirect jobs, many of them highly qualified.

Beyond its scientific impact, this infrastructure could establish Spain as a key supplier of components, materials, and expertise for the global fusion market – one that could become a cornerstone of 21st-century industry.

Beyond the Lab: Building an Industry (and a Country) That Leads in Fusion

Ángel Ibarra’s message goes far beyond the realm of science. His core argument is clear: fusion must stop being treated as a technology of the future and start being developed as an industrial value chain today.

Spain has a unique opportunity to lead this transformation – not only as the host of IFMIF-DONES, but as a global actor in the emerging fusion economy. Turning that opportunity into a competitive advantage, however, requires activating all the gears:

• Build industrial consortia that connect science, technology, and business.
• Create stable, long-term investment frameworks rooted in real public–private collaboration.
• Support strategic projects, even when short-term returns are not guaranteed.
• Develop interdisciplinary talent – professionals who understand physics, business, regulation, and innovation alike.

As Ibarra reminds us, “Science can prove that fusion is possible, but only industry can turn it into an energy reality.”
And that industry starts now.

A Race That Has Already Begun

Fusion energy is no longer just a promise – it’s becoming a real roadmap. But it won’t arrive on its own. It must be built — through industrial decisions, strategic alliances, sustained investment, and a national vision.

Ángel Ibarra’s participation in the Future Trends Forum: Fusion Forward is more than a technical reflection. It’s a call to action – to unlock all the potential Spain holds in this race: as a key node in Europe’s fusion ecosystem, as an innovation hub in materials science, and as a top-tier industrial player in one of the most transformative sectors of the 21st century.

This article is part of the broader analysis carried out by the Fundación Innovación Bankinter. The full report, “Fusion Energy: A Revolution in Progress”, compiles insights from over twenty international experts and defines the five critical levers to scale fusion as a climate, economic, and technological engine.

Download it here and discover how we can start building tomorrow’s energy system today.

And if you want to keep exploring this transformation, don’t miss the upcoming articles in the Fusion Forward series – where we continue to bring the future of energy closer to society, with rigor, foresight, and impact.