Since the publication of the review Progress in the ITER Physics Basis (PIPB) in 2007, significant progress has been made in understanding the processes at the plasma-material interface. This review, part of the ITPA Nuclear Fusion Special Issue On the Path to Burning Plasma Operation, presents these developments, focusing on key areas such as the physics of plasma exhaust, plasma-material interactions, and the properties of plasma-facing materials and their evolution under plasma exposure. The coordinated efforts of the ITPA Topical Group on Scrape-Off Layer and Divertor Physics (DivSOL) have been instrumental in identifying and addressing critical research and development issues in numerous collaborative experimental and modelling projects.

Concepts of the power exhaust and divertor design have been developed, with a high priority in the pre-conceptual design phase of the Japan–Europe broader approach DEMO design activity (BA DDA). Common critical issues are the large power exhaust and its fraction in the main plasma and divertor by the radiative cooling (P _rad ^tot/P _heat ⩾ 0.8). Different exhaust concepts in the main plasma and divertor have been developed for Japanese (JA) and European (EU) DEMOs. JA proposed a conventional closed divertor geometry to challenge large P _sep/R _p handling of 30–35 MW m⁻¹ in order to maintain the radiation fraction in the main plasma at the ITER-level (f _rad ^main = P _rad ^main/P _heat ∼ 0.4) and higher plasma performance. EU challenged both increasing f _rad ^main to ∼0.65 and handling the ITER-level P _sep/R _p in the open divertor geometry. Power exhaust simulations have been performed by SONIC (JA) and SOLPS5.1 (EU) with corresponding P _sep = 250–300 MW and 150–200 MW, respectively. Both results showed that large divertor radiation fraction (P _rad ^div/P _sep ⩾ 0.8) was required to reduce both peak q _target (⩽10 MW m⁻²) and T _e,i ^div. In addition, the JA divertor performance with EU-reference P _sep of 150 MW showed benefit of the closed geometry to reduce the peak q _target and T _e,i ^div near the separatrix, and to produce the partial detachment. Integrated designs of the water cooled divertor target, cassette and coolant pipe routing have been developed in both EU and JA, based on the tungsten (W) monoblock concept with Cu-alloy pipe. For year-long operation, DEMO-specific risks such as radiation embrittlement of Cu-interlayers and Cu-alloy cooling pipe were recognized, and both foresee higher water temperature (130 °C–200 °C) compared to that for ITER. At the same time, several improved technologies of high heat flux components have been developed in EU, and different heat sink design, i.e. Cu-alloy cooling pipes for targets and RAFM steel ones for the baffle, dome and cassette, was proposed in JA. The two approaches provide important case-studies of the DEMO divertor, and will significantly contribute to both DEMO designs.

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