Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

Real-Patriotism t1_izffbc6 wrote

I have Tritium in my watch that makes it glow in the dark. While probably a minuscule amount, why would this be done if there is such a low supply of Tritium?

1

NetworkLlama t1_izfjlpq wrote

Because it's micrograms and because the current supply somewhat outweighs the demand. Most fusion concepts now under investigation rely on tritium but it's still years away from needing significant amounts. Once fusion power is a reality, tritium is going to be in enormous demand (ITER is expected to use most of the world's supply just in experiments) unless we have a way to generate it more freely, such as with lithium-6 blankets.

1