This article presents a novel method combining ion irradiation, in-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and microchemistry analysis before/after irradiation, which allows to examine same microstructural areas throughout ion irradiation. A 12 wt% Cr Ferritic/Martensitic steel (HT9) was irradiated in the TEM to 1.17 x 10(20) ions.m(-2) at 440 degrees C...
The thermal degradation of structural materials is considered to be a key factor for evaluating the lifetime of current nuclear power plants. Ni-based and Fe-based alloys, such as 690, 625, 304, and 316, are widely used in nuclear industry as structural components due to the extraordinary corrosion resistance and mechanical...
Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) offer a great deal of potential through their near-theoretical strength, potentially high toughness and unique forming and molding traits. However, there are still a number of outstanding issues that bar their widespread use. This thesis describes the investigation of three research questions each designed to further...
The effect of ambient environment on the fatigue behavior of two Zr-Ti-Cu-Ni-Be bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) is examined in the present study. The first metallic glass, Zr₄₄Ti₁₁Ni₁₀Cu₁₀Be₂₅, was tested to establish the presence of an environmental effect in the fatigue growth curve measured in ambient air. Fatigue growth curves produced...
Deformation of metallic glasses requires the existence of free volume to allow atomic movement under mechanical loading. Accordingly, the present research seeks to understand how free volume variations in alloys of identical compositions affect the fatigue and fracture behavior. By annealing below the glass transition temperature, the free volume of...
The miniaturization of Microtechnology-based Energy, Chemical and Biological Systems (MECS) is made possible by the use of high aspect ratio microchannel arrays to increase the surface-area-to-volume ratio of the flow conduits within the devices, resulting in an improvement in the heat and mass transfer performance of the devices. However, advantages...
Metallic glasses (also referred to as amorphous metals) have been gaining interest in the materials science community in recent years. These amorphous materials demonstrate promising properties compared to their crystalline counterparts that include much higher strength and elastic strain limit, better corrosion and wear resistance, superior soft magnetism, and an...
The phases of transition alumina are scientifically interesting due to their high specific surface area, favorable acid/ base characteristics, and chemical and hydrothermal stability which make this metallic oxide a prime candidate for use as a support for metallic nanoparticles (NPs) in heterocatalysis. Interactions at alumina/Pt interfaces are important for...
Toughened ceramics, or bridging ceramics, are being developed in an attempt
to widen the application base of traditional ceramics, which are brittle and have low
resistance to crack extension. The crack growth resistance of these extrinsically
toughened ceramics has been shown to increase with crack length, and unlike
traditional ceramics,...
Silicon carbide (SiC) and aluminum nitride (AlN) exhibit a combination of thermal and mechanical properties that are relevant to applications in electronics, aerospace, defense and automotive industries. However, the successful translation of these properties into final applications lies in the net-shaping of these ceramics into fully dense microstructures. Increasing the...