MSE Research by Area
Considerable support from NSF, DoD, DARPA, NASA, and industry enables our work and centers of excellence. The department has been solidified by recent additions to our faculty as well as the addition of the state-of-the art building Wilsdorf Hall which tripled the research space available.
Research Area |
Associated Faculty |
| amorphous and nanostructured alloys | ||
| Nanocomposites are produced by means of procedures and processes of chemical nanotechnology. In doing so, the production and targeted use of nano-scaled structures form the focus of generating and improving material properties. This field of nanotechnology is considered the one of most progressive and enables cross-sector solutions. | Raul A. Baragiola |
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computational materials science |
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| Computational research includes development of new methods for materials modeling, theoretical and numerical analysis of the dynamic non-equilibrium processes in materials undergoing processing by short laser pulses, investigation of the microscopic mechanisms of phase transformations, properties of nanostructured and non-crystalline materials. | ||
electrochemistry: corrosion, electro-deposition, energy conversion |
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Research areas include studies of passivity, localized corrosion, protective coatings, environmental effects on composites, aging aircraft, and degradation of reinforced concrete. Studies of the localized corrosion of metals and alloys include both experimental and computational projects aimed at better understanding the links among alloy metallurgy, environment, and resistance to attack. he deleterious effects of absorbed hydrogen on the mechanical properties of titanium, aluminum and high strength steel. | James T. Burns
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electronic materials |
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Growth and processing of multi-layer interconnected structures in microelectronic circuits and structure and mechanical properties of semiconductor materials. Fundamental studies of strain relief mechanisms in growth and processing of lattice-mismatched semiconductor heteroepitaxial layers, with particular emphasis on dislocation dynamics at ultra-high stresses; process-induced stresses in microelectronic and optoelectronic devices. | Jerrold A. Floro Jiwei Lu Petra Reinke Haydn N. G. Wadley Stuart A. Wolf |
fatigue and fracture |
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Major research areas in mechanical behavior include ductile fracture, hydrogen embrittlement, stress corrosion cracking, and high/low-cycle fatigue; the confluence of mechanical, chemical, and metallurgical influences are considered. State-of-the-art fracture mechanics experimental methods are coupled with unique environmental control capabilities to establish the cracking behavior of pertinent engineering alloys; including aluminum, titanium, nickel-based superalloys and steels. Such data are coupled with various characterization techniques to define fundamental mechanisms for fatigue and fracture which inform both engineering and micro-mechanical level models of material behavior. |
Sean Agnew James T. Burns James M. Fitz-Gerald Richard P. Gangloff John R. Scully Haydn N. G. Wadley |
high temperature materials |
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Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs) and Environmental Barrier Coatings aimed at understanding the effects of chemistry and architecture on thermochemical and thermomechanical durability in extreme environments; kinetics and morphology of oxide formation on Ultra High Temperature Ceramics (UHTC) such as ZrB2-SiC at temperatures from 1300-1900°C for application as hypersonic vehicle thermal protection systems; and oxidation of Fe-Cr based ferritic stainless steel interconnects. |
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laser processing |
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Laser processing of materials has implications for industrial and medical applications. Lasers are harnessed in the processing of materials, additively via deposition, and by ablation. Laser ablation is the removal of material by vaporization. Pulsed laser deposition is process whereby thin films are created via plasmatic deposits on a substrate. | Raul A. Baragiola James M. Fitz-Gerald Haydn N. G. Wadley Leonid V. Zhigilei |
magnetism and spintronics |
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Magnetic materials enabled the information revolution by transforming how information was stored and processed. Spintronics is the field of spin transport of electronics and spin dependent phenomena for next generation computing. Research investigations include spin-dependent processing, spin-dependent storage, multiferroic thin films, metal-insulator transition of vanadium dioxide, mechanisms of SC magnetic doping, and ferrofluidic assembly | Jerrold A. Floro Jiwei Lu Petra Reinke Stuart A. Wolf |
metallurgy |
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Advanced materials meet the multiple needs such as high strength and/or stiffness to weight ratio and at the same time are able to perform satisfactorily in hostile environments. The department is involved in a wide range of research on light materials including alloy processing, mechanical properties and microstructural characterization, deformation mechanisms and environmental effects of metals. | Sean Agnew |
phase transformations |
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Materials scientists have long been aware that there is much to be learned about the behavior of grain and interphase boundaries from a detailed understanding of their structure. Problems such as intergranular embrittlement, intergranular corrosion, segregation, recrystallization texture, and boundary migration rates are all intimately connected to the nature of atomic bonding across a grain boundary. | James M. Howe William C. Johnson Gary J. Shiflet Leonid V. Zhigilei |
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surface science and thin films |
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Interfaces between phases are being increasingly recognized as critical elements in the understanding of nucleation, growth kinetics and morphological development during phase transformations as well as properties in materials. Current research includes a study of the role of interphase boundaries during lamellar growth in ferrous and non-ferrous eutectoid transformations and the discontinuous reaction in the Cu-Ti, and Ni-In systems. | Raul A. Baragiola |
