CAREER: Scaled-Up Manufacturing of Nanostructured Refractory Ceramics for High-Temperature Applications

这项职业发展补助金的目标是建立一个全面的研究和教育计划，重点是纳米结构耐火陶瓷的加工和机械性能，以扩展烧结的基本和实践知识以及这些类型的材料的机械行为，同时生产在超高温环境中直接应用的材料。 研究生，本科生，高中教师和高中学生将被纳入研究和教育经验可能与这样一个项目。 基于主要研究者在陶瓷材料合成和表征方面的优势，该项目的具体目标是：（1）使用溶剂热合成方法合成纳米结构的碳化物粉末;（2）在一系列实验条件下表征溶剂热合成过程（即，反应时间、反应温度和清洗溶剂）以优化和按比例放大该方法;（3）通过火花等离子体烧结将纳米结构粉末致密化为压块;（4）在一定范围的实验条件下表征致密化过程（即，粉末的起始微晶尺寸、粉末的起始团聚体尺寸、压力、温度、加热速率和致密化时间）;（5）检查致密化过程中的微观结构发展;（6）表征致密化压坯在室温和高温下的机械行为，并确定机械行为随SPS加工条件的变化而发生的变化;（7）表征压块的抗热冲击性，因为在其最终预期的应用中，材料将经历非常快速的加热和冷却循环;（8）在实现上述研究目标的过程中，招募研究生、本科生、高中教师和高中生。作为上述研究目标的补充，提出了一个多目标的教育计划。 该计划包含以下四个目标：（1）让美国和墨西哥国家理工学院的研究生和本科生参与研究经验和合作活动;（2）让Southwester学院的西班牙裔本科生参与研究经验和合作活动;（3）继续外展活动，以北方内华达州高中学生，（4）涉及西班牙裔高中学生和教师从拥抱高中（里诺）在夏季研究的经验。

The goal of this career development grant is to establish a comprehensive research and education program focusing on the processing and mechanical properties of nanostructured refractory ceramics in order to extend the basic and practical knowledge of sintering as well as mechanical behavior in these types of materials, while at the same time producing materials that have a direct application in ultra-high temperature environments. Graduate students, undergraduate students, high school teachers, and high school students will be incorporated into research and educational experiences possible with a project such as this one. Building on the principal investigator's strengths in the synthesis and characterization of ceramic materials, the specific objectives of the project are: (1) to synthesize nanostructured carbide powders using a solvothermal synthesis approach; (2) to characterize the process of solvothermal synthesis over a range of experimental conditions (i.e., reaction time, reaction temperature, and cleaning solvents) in order to optimize and scale-up the process; (3) to densify the nanostructured powders into compacts via spark-plasma sintering; (4) to characterize the process of densification over a range of experimental conditions (i.e., starting crystallite size of the powders, starting agglomerate size of the powders, pressure, temperature, heating rate, and time of densification); (5) to examine the microstructural development during the densification process; (6) to characterize the mechanical behavior of the densified compacts at room and high temperatures and to determine the changes in mechanical behavior with changes in SPS processing conditions; (7) to characterize the thermal shock resistance of the compacts, since in their ultimate expected application the materials will be undergoing cycles of very rapid heating and cooling; and (8) to enlist graduate students, undergraduate students, high school teachers, and high school students in the process of meeting the above research objectives.Complementary to the research goals described above, a multi-objective education plan is proposed. The plan contains the following four objectives: (1) to involve graduate and undergraduate students from the USA and Mexico's National Polytechnic Instittue in research experiences and collaborative activities; (2) to involve undergraduate students of Hispanic descent from Southwester College in research experiences and collaborative activities; (3) to continue outreach activities to northern Nevada high school students, and (4) to involve Hispanic high school students and teachers from Hug High School (Reno) in summer research experiences.