Diamond structures as fuel capsules for nuclear fusion

An article of manufacture, comprising:

• a shell substantially enclosing an interior region, the shell comprising
• a polycrystalline diamond layer;
• at least one opening in the shell;
• and
• at least one of:
• at least one sealable member configured to be capable of closing the opening;
• and
• at least one fill tube configured to form a seal to the at least one opening in the shell,
• the polycrystalline diamond layer being formed by a plasma process and having a surface smoothness with deviations less than 4 nm;
• wherein the polycrystalline diamond layer is formed of nanoscale crystal grains having an average value of a major axis of the crystal grains of 100 nm or less, and wherein the shell has a thickness of at least 50 μm.

A capsule usable in an inertial confinement fusion reactor comprising:

• a shell substantially enclosing an interior region,
• wherein the shell is spherical shell having concentric interior and exterior surfaces wherein, except for at least one opening in the shell forming at least one access port, the shell has a maximum deviation in thickness between interior and exterior surfaces of less than 200 nm, and local deviations from smoothness on the inner and outer surfaces on the shell are less than 4 nm,
• the shell comprising
• a polycrystalline diamond layer;
• the at least one opening in the shell forming at least one access port;
• and at least one of:
• a sealable member configured to be capable of closing the at least one opening;
• and
• a fill tube configured to form a seal to the at least one opening in the shell.