Completed Research Projects

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Creep-Resistant Alloys

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Creep of Thermoelectric Materials

Muath Mohammed Al Malki, co-advised by Prof. Jeffrey Snyder

We are exploring the relationship between creep deformation (during operation at stress and temperature) and thermoelectric performance degradation for various thermoelectric alloys.

Cast Al-Ce based Eutectic Alloys with High Creep Resistance

Tiffany Wu, *Yang Liu and *Daniel Ng, co-advised by Dr. Alex Plotkowski, Dr.Amit Shyam, and Dr. Ryan Dehoff, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Our work involves microstructural investigations and compression creep testing of Al-Ce binary alloys, with the goal of studying how Ce additions may be utilized to develop alloys with enhanced creep resistance.

Additive Manufacturing of Alloys

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Additive manufacturing of NiMnGa and NiTi shape memory microlattices

*Dr. Shannon Taylor, co-advised by Prof. Ramille Shah

In collaboration with the Shah lab, we are investigating the effects of the 3D-printing parameters and heat-treatment duration and temperature on the microstructure, porosity, and shape memory properties of the Ni-Mn-Ga and NiTi-Nb wires and micro-lattices.

Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Superalloys

Jennie Glerum* and *Dr. Christoph Kenel; co-advised by Dr. Jon-Erik Mogonye

We are investigating aluminum ODS alloys: first alumina dispersoids in a pure aluminum matrix, and then alumina and yttria dispersoids in an Al-Sc matrix capable of Al3Sc precipitation in solid state.

Freeze-Casting of Metals and Ceramics

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Freeze-Casting of Directionally Solidified Ni-, Cu-, Co-, and W- Foams

*Sandra Häberli, *André Röthlisberger, *Hyeji Park, *Myounggeun Choi, and *Hyungyung Jo

We are working to develop and establish the freeze-casting process for copper and nickel foams with potential applications in energy areas.

*Freeze-Casting of Silicon

*Fernando Reyes

We are working to develop and establish the freeze-casting process for silicon foams for battery applications.

SpaceICE ("Interface Convective Effects") CubeSat Mission

Kristen Scotti, Chelsea Ye, Lawrence Luo, Bohan Yao, *Dominic Herincx, *Jessica Li, *Robert Lundberg, *Teddy Broeren, *Andy McIntosh, *Lauren Kearney, and in collaboration with University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

In partnership with the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and Bradley University, directional solidification experiments will be conducted on a CubeSat (a small satellite that orbits Earth); the satellite will is expected to launch with NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative in 2022.

Ice-templating of TiO2

Kristen Scotti, *Pierce Pettit, *Emily Northard, *Amelia Plunk, *Lauren Kearney, *Jared Burns, and *Matthew Ocana

We are using aqueous suspensions of titanium dioxide as a model suspension system to study the effect of gravity on microstructures templated during directional solidification of ice-templated materials. We previously conducted experiments on reduced gravity parabolic flights and investigated the effect of solidification direction under normal terrestrial gravity; currently, we are investigating the effect of water's density inversion at 4 °C on TiO2 microstructures.

High Temperature Superalloys

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Micro-architectured Ni-based superalloys

*Dr. Dinc Erdeniz, *Dr. Cong Wang, and *Dr. Ashley PazyPuente

We are developing Ni-based superalloys with topologically-optimized micro-architectural features. We use the pack cementation technique to add Al,Ti and Mo to woven or braided structures fabricated from Ni or Ni-Cr wires and transform them into creep- and oxidation-resistant superalloys.

Iron-based superalloys

*Dr. Sung Il Baik, *Dr. Mike Rawlings and *Dr. Nhon Q Vo

We are investigating the relationship between the processing and the creep resistance of ferritic superalloys that are strengthened by a hierarchical microstructure. This link is observed both experimentally and computationally.

Aluminum-based superalloys

*Dr. Amir R. Farkoosh, *Dan Rosenthal, *Dr. Shipeng Shu, *Dr. Jacques Perrin Toinin, *Dr. Anthony De Luca, *Dr. Dinc Erdeniz, *Richard Michi, *Chanun Suwanpreecha, and *Dr. Nhon Q Vo; in collaboration with Prof. David Seidman

We investigate microstructure and creep properties of binary and ternary Al-Sc-X, Al-Ti-X and Al-Zr-X alloys with nanoscale, coherent, coarsening-resistant precipitates. Additions of submicron alumina dispersoids are also investigated.

Metallic Foams

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Micro-architectured Ni-based superalloys

*Dr. Dinc Erdeniz, *Dr. Cong Wang, and *Dr. Ashley Pazy Puente

We are developing Ni-based superalloys with topologically-optimized micro-architectural features. We use the pack cementation technique to add Al,Ti and Mo to woven or braided structures fabricated from Ni or Ni-Cr wires and transform them into creep- and oxidation-resistant superalloys.

Nanoporous Gold Foams

*Dr. Karen Yu-Chen Chen

Nanoporous gold has a sponge-like structure with extremely high surface due to the nanometer scale porosity. We use cutting-edge x-ray nano-tomography and in situ imaging to characterize the structural evolution of nanoporous gold during dealloying and coarsening.

Iron-based Foams

*Justin Scott

We are investigating processing methods to achieve open-cell, ferritic steel foams for solid-oxide fuel cell interconnects. Mechanical properties at room temperature and typical use temperatures are being examined.

Bulk Metallic Glass Foams

*Marie Cox

We are developing new a powder-based process to fabricate bulk metallic glasses (Zr57Nb5Al10Cu15 Ni13) with open, elongated pores. The structure and properties of these high-strength foams are studied.

NiTi-based Foams

*Dr. Catherine Tupper, *Antoine Emery, and *Anselm Neurohr

We are investigating processing methods to achieve open or close-cell NiTi foams with superelastic or shape-memory compositions. We are also characterizing the mechanical properties of these foams.

NiMnGa Foams

*Dr. Peiqi Zheng and *Antoine Emery, and *Dr. Ashley Pazy Puente

We are processing ferromagnetic shape memory Ni-Mn-Ga foams by replication casting and replication powder metallurgy methods. We are also characterizing their microstructure, composition, phase transformation temperatures and magnetic properties with our collaborators at Boise State University.

Titanium Foams

*J. Li and *Y. Chino, and *S.M. Oppenheimer

We are investigating processing methods to fabricate titanium foams, including: freeze-casting, superplastic expansion of entrapped gas, and hot pressing.

Hollow Nickel-Based Alloy Micro-Tubes via Directed Kirkendall Pore Formation

*Dr. Alex Chadwick, *Dr. Dinc Erdeniz, *Dr. Ashley Paz y Puente, and *Aaron Yost, in collaboration with Prof. Ashley Paz y Puente, University of Cincinnati

Typically, Kirkendall pores are considered detrimental because they deteriorate the mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of materials, but we focus on the use of the Kirkendall effect as a novel route for the fabrication of β-NiAl(Cr) and shape memory NiTi microtubes.

Bulk nanostructured metals from twinned silver nanowires

Luke Prestowitz, co-advised by Prof. Jiaxing Huang

Collaborating with the Huang lab, we are building a bulk nanostructured material from silver nanowires. We use multiply-twinned nanowires, assembled into a green body, to discover new metallic materials with exceptional properties and microstructures.

Imaging and Strain Measurements via Synchrotron X-ray Diffraction

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Modeling of Bone Load Transfer Nanomechanics

*Dr. Fang Yuan

We are creating finite element models of bone structure at collagen fibril level to simulate their mechanical responses and compare with experimental data from synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurement. The detailed strain evolution in different phases of bone and the load transfer between them are studied.

Load Transfer in Cortical Bone

*Dr. Anjali Singhal and *Dr. Fang Yuan

We are developing new high temperature alloys based on Cobalt. Methods such as creep and hardness tests are used to investigate the mechanical properties of these alloys and Atom Probe Tomography is utilized to study the structure.

Load Transfer in Dentin

*Dr. Alix Deymier-Black and *Dr. Fang Yuan

High energy X-ray diffraction is being used to investigate load transfer behaviors between the ceramic and proteinaceous phases of dentin.

Phase Change and Strain Evolution in Li-ion Batteries

*Matt Glazer

We are examining transient phase change and strain development phenomena during the use of Li-ion batteries and the effects of structure and hierarchical architecture on these phenomena using the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory.

Reduction and Sintering of Freeze-Cast Oxides to Create Metallic Foams

*Stephen Wilke, Jacob Mack, and *Pedro Javier Lloreda Juardo

Metal foams created by freeze casting are typically prepared from oxide precursor powders, which are reduced and sintered at high temperature in the final processing step. We are using in situ X-ray microtomography to investigate the structural changes of the oxide green bodies as they are reduced and sintered to metal.

Cultural Heritage Materials

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Artistic Bronzes

*Dr. Mike Rawlings and *Dr. Marcus Young

We are analyzing the composition and patinas of modern bronzes by artists such as Matisse, Brancusi and Picasso, and investigating the casting technology of bronzes from the early Western Zhou Dynasty.

Cahokia Copper

*Dr. Alix Deymier-Black and *Matt Chastain

Copper Sheet artifacts from the Cahokia Mounds, IL are examined using metallurgical techniques to determine the forming techniques used by the Mississippians.