Sustainable and Integrated Microstructure Physics Laboratory
Metallic materials are the backbone of modern society, constituting various sectors including construction, transportation, power generation, tools, and medical implants. The past century has witnessed a significant increase in the complexity of alloy structures and compositions to meet growing demands for safety, efficiency, and environmental resistance. This increasing complexity presents challenges in understanding alloy behavior, often leading to a trial-and-error approach in alloy design and the inefficient use of expensive, unsustainable elements and processes.
We are committed to overcoming these challenges, aiming for effective and creative solutions in the alloy design realm. Our approach involves analyzing the structural characteristics of alloys, utilizing them as historical indicators of phase transformations during processing and as a basis for targeted property development. We utilize advanced characterization methods, such as in situ scanning electron microscopy and in situ synchrotron techniques, to observe alloy behavior. We design and optimize alloy compositions and processing methods across various scales, from local chemical ordering to multi-phase microstructures, aided by theories, CALPHAD modeling, and advanced fabrication techniques.
We study a wide range of alloys, including transition metal-based, steel, aluminum, refractory, complex concentrated, and high entropy alloys, particularly those that can endure extreme environments like irradiation, cryogenic temperatures, high rates, and hydrogen embrittlement. Additionally, we aim to develop recyclable and impurity tolerable alloys, particularly steels, contributing to global sustainability efforts. Our ultimate goal is to design structure/composition of alloys robust enough to be insensitive to impurities or to processing imperfections and can perform exceptionally in challenging conditions.
Irradiation-Assisted Plasticity in Complex Concentrated Alloys
At intermediate temperatures (<0.4 melting point), irradiation and mechanical stress result in hardening and embrittlement through significant strain localization at dislocation channels, which is a critical contributor to the degradation of metals in advanced nuclear energy systems. This research investigates the effect of irradiation on plasticity mechanisms in complex-concentrated and high entropy alloys (CCAs/HEAs) and seeks ways to tailor deformation mechanisms to exhibit planar-defect mediated delocalized plasticity, which might increase both strength and toughness/ductility under irradiation.
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Complex concentrated alloys for cryogenic temperatures
This research develops a novel class of complex-concentrated alloys (CCAs) that utilize local chemical ordering (LCO) to enhance damage tolerance without the reliance on the critical elements, such as cobalt, at cryogenic temperatures. We aim to design CCAs that exhibit unique deformation mechanisms, enhancing strength, ductility, and toughness while avoiding the typical embrittlement seen in conventional alloys at low temperatures.
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Large language models for intuitive alloy design
Materials design has traditionally relied on the designer’s intuition, drawn from empirical knowledge, and quantitative predictions grounded in scientific principles. This research develops and deploys new large language models (LLMs), which exhibit extraordinary pattern recognition and generative capabilities to address complex tasks, to revolutionize the conceptual design phase of alloys.