Stable Nanocrystalline Metals: Next-Generation Structural Materials from Science to Commercialization
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Seminar
Professor Christopher A. Schuh
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Stable Nanocrystalline Metals: Next-Generation Structural Materials from Science to Commercialization
When the grain size of a metal is refined to a scale on the order of just a few nanometers, its strength, hardness, wear resistance, and other properties improve in dramatic ways. There is therefore significant interest in designing and deploying such nanocrystalline alloys for structural applications. However, refining the grain structure is a struggle against equilibrium, and nanocrystalline materials are often quite unstable; the grains grow given time even at room temperature, and the associated property benefits decline over time in service. In this talk, our efforts to design stable nanocrystalline alloys will be described. We rely on selective alloying as a method to lower the energy of grain boundaries, which can bring a nanocrystalline structure closer to equilibrium. This talk will highlight the path from theory, to proof-of-concept laboratory demonstration, to scale-up and commercialization of such alloys. Beginning from early successes with nanocrystalline alloy coatings, the talk will also outline future opportunities in bulk net-shape products and additive manufacturing. The prospects of stable nanocrystalline metals in a wide variety of applications will be described, including as substitute materials to reduce cost and cost volatility, as greener alternatives to legacy technologies, as next-generation structural materials with large performance increments over incumbent metals, and as an enabler of new 3D printing technologies.
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
2:30 – 3:30 pm
Location – Mason 107
9 Hillhouse Avenue
Host: Professor Judy Cha
Refreshments served at 2:15 pm