Multiscale Correlation of Magnetism and Microstructure at Iron/Oxide Interfaces

铁粉在提高电机效率和降低电机成本方面显示出巨大的潜力。然而，缺乏机械耐用、电绝缘和磁性的涂层材料是铁粉在电磁铁芯中实现的根本障碍。在本项目中，将通过研究薄膜异质结构形式的氧化物-Fe界面的磁性和结构性质来确定通过分子束外延制备的候选氧化物涂层。原子尺度显微镜和中子散射技术的结合将揭示界面的原子结构和磁性行为是如何相关的，为缺陷、应变和局部化学计量比如何改变界面磁性提供了前所未有的洞察。基于这些结果，将确定用于铁粉基电磁器件的最佳涂层和工艺条件。这项工作解决了现有工业生产环境中的已知障碍，并从战略上瞄准了电磁设备未来发展所需的下一代材料和工艺。这项研究将具有教育和经济影响。将制定外展计划，让学生在我们日益增长的节能行业和经济中获得就业机会。这些活动将聚集来自西费城(主要是少数族裔)学校的学生团体，参加与电动马达、混合动力汽车和替代能源相关的研讨会和招聘会。开发和理解这些新材料将为社会带来实实在在的好处。与内燃机相比，电动马达的能量转换率提高了50%以上，因此，这些汽车应用材料的开发使汽车行业摆脱了对化石燃料的依赖，并降低了消费者成本。这将转化为未来工程师和技术专业人员的技能和知识的发展，他们将参与汽车、航空航天和工业部门。

Fe powders show tremendous potential for improving the efficiency and reducing the cost of electric motors. However, the lack of a coating material, which is mechanically durable, electrically insulating, and magnetic, is a fundamental obstacle to the implementation of Fe powders in electromagnetic cores. In this project, candidate oxide coatings, prepared by molecular beam epitaxy, will be identified by investigating the magnetic and structural properties of oxide-Fe interfaces in the form of thin film heterostructures. The combination of atomic scale microscopy and neutron scattering techniques will reveal how the atomic structure and magnetic behavior of the interfaces are correlated, providing unprecedented insight into how defects, strain, and local stoichiometry alter interfacial magnetism. Based on these results, optimal coatings and processing conditions will be identified for use in Fe-powder-based electromagnetic devices. The work addresses known hurdles within existing industrial production environments and is strategically targeted towards the next generation materials and processing necessary for the future direction of electromagnetic devices.This research will have both educational and economic impacts. Outreach programs will be developed to expose students to job opportunities in our growing energy efficient industry and economy. These will bring together groups of students from West Philadelphia (predominantly minority) schools for workshops and career fairs associated with electric motors, hybrid vehicles, and alternative energy. Development and understanding of these new materials will provide a tangible benefit to society. Electric motors have over a 50% increase in energy conversion over internal combustion engines, and thus, the development of these materials for automotive applications steer the automotive industry away from the dependence on fossil fuels and drives down consumer costs. This will translate into the development of the skills and knowledge for upcoming engineers and technical professionals that will become involved in the automotive, aerospace and industrial sectors.