Spontaneous Crystallization under Extreme Conditions for Fabrication of Metastable Metals
Abstract
Metastable materials transform into more stable forms under the right conditions. The most remarkable example of this process is a slow transition of diamond into graphite, a more stable form of carbon. Many metals, exemplified by cobalt, nickel, and tungsten, also exist in metastable forms, and like the diamond, they possess different or superior properties to their more stable counterparts. These metallic materials could offer unique properties and exciting opportunities for development of the next-generation materials ranging from quantum computers to structural engineering materials. However, their fabrication poses a significant challenge. The Materials Science Division of the U.S. Army Research Office has called out the need for Òunique phenomena occurring under metastable and far-from-equilibrium conditions to develop revolutionary and disruptive new materials or processing methodologies.Ó The overreaching goal of this proposal is to investigate a novel spontaneous crystallization processing concept applied under extreme conditions for efficient preparation of metastable metals. The proposal brings together expertise in chemistry, physics, and computational materials science to address fundamental questions behind this novel processing route to prepare metastable metals and to train students to use the developed techniques and methods. The unique features of spontaneous crystallization offer an unprecedented opportunity for investigating the formation of metastable metals from disordered (amorphous) metals. The hypothesis of this proposal is that the application of different external factors, such as high-energy ion irradiation, laser irradiation, and mechanical impact, can create extreme and controlled conditions for processing and allow the formation of metastable metals that would not be possible through other approaches. To test this hypothesis, objectives of this project are (1) to fabricate and explore amorphous metals, (2) to conduct computational simulations for predicting the most optimal conditions that would permit the formation of metastable metals, (3) guided by the simulation results, to process amorphous powders by applying different external factors, including high energy ion irradiation, laser irradiation, and mechanical impact, and (4) to investigate stability and mechanical properties of metals. The expected scientific outcome is the revelation of crystallization mechanisms of metallic materials under extreme conditions. By identifying the mechanisms responsible for the formation of metastable phases and ways to stabilize them, we will be able to guide further efforts in tuning these materials to meet the demands of potential applications.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- May 24, 2023
- Source ID
- W911NF2110045
Entities
People
- Khachatur Manukyan
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- United States Army
- University of Notre Dame