Ceramic property variation as a function of water corrosion at interfaces

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This project focuses on understanding the effect of supercritical and high-temperature water on forsterite, the magnesium end-member of the olivine mineral series, an emerging engineering ceramic and major component of the upper mantle. The primary aim is to understand how the presence of water affects the grain boundary character distribution and how it incorporates into the forsterite structure (in the bulk vs at interfaces). I will synthesise forsterite and use novel electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD) techniques to look at the interfacial distribution, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to study the interfacial structure, and infrared spectroscopy to look at hydrogen incorporation. By developing an understanding of the interfacial structure and how this changes with water content, the applications of forsterite can be widened, and a greater understanding of the Earth's structure and dynamics can be achieved.