Nanoscale Characterization and Aim-Specific Design of Amorphous Materials

在基础研究和工程应用方面，人们正在探索材料的性质。具体地说，材料的机械性能(如强度、刚度和变形)对人类文明的各个方面都很重要，包括能源、交通和通讯。然而，晶格基(即周期性)微结构的存在限制了材料的机械操作和寿命。这项研究计划建议通过测量非晶态金属合金的局部机械性能来研究它们，以最终实现其特定目标的设计。传统的机械表征技术(如压缩、拉伸试验)仅测量面积/体积平均特性。因此，人们还不能很好地理解无序材料中偏离理想晶格是如何改变局部力学性质的，从而改变了相关长度尺度，即纳米尺度下的物理和力学原理。此外，缺乏这种基本知识阻碍了工程师和科学家建立非晶态金属结构-性质关系的努力。为了填补这一根本空白，我们的研究计划将专注于无序金属合金化合物的局部力学表征，如大块金属玻璃，即没有周期性晶体结构的非晶态金属，其强度比钢强，但比普通金属更耐磨和耐腐蚀。拟议的研究计划的智力优势在于，它将根据制备历史、样品大小、合金成分和探测体积，直接和准确地确定不同长度尺度上的非晶态材料的机械性能和变形机制，同时通过新的样品制备(例如热塑性成型)和表征技术(例如扫描探针显微镜)促进结构-性能关系。从该计划中获得的知识预计将对目标设计和对非晶态金属损伤机制的微观结构理解产生关键影响，这将有助于加拿大的新型工业和国防应用。根据钢铁和制造业的特定需求优化金属合金成分的能力预计将有助于高科技应用，同时提高加拿大公司的竞争力。除了科学、技术和工业影响外，该计划的主要目标之一是在平等、多样化、包容和激发智力的环境中培训几名高素质的人员(HQP)。经过培训的HQP将在一个结合多学科专业知识的领域配备独特的技能和实践经验，以执行纳米级的材料调查并实施新的实验方法，同时满足加拿大的学术和工业需求。

Properties of materials are being explored both for fundamental research and engineering applications. Specifically, mechanical properties of materials (e.g., strength, stiffness, and deformation) are important for all aspects of human civilization, including energy, transportation, and communication. However, the existence of lattice-based (i.e., periodic) microstructures limits the mechanical operation and the lifetime of materials. This research program proposes to investigate amorphous metal alloys by measuring their local mechanical properties to ultimately enable their aim-specific design. Conventional mechanical characterization techniques (e.g., compression, tension tests) only measure area/volume-averaged properties. As a result, it is not well-understood how deviations from the ideal lattice in disordered materials alter the local mechanical properties and thus, the governing physical and mechanical principles at the relevant length scales, i.e., nanometers. Furthermore, the lack of this basic knowledge hampers engineers and scientists in their efforts to establish the structure-property relationship of amorphous metals. To fill this fundamental gap, our research program will focus on the local mechanical characterization of disordered metal alloy compounds such as bulk metallic glasses, i.e., amorphous metals with no periodic crystal structure that is stronger than steel while being more resistant to wear and corrosion than regular metals. The intellectual merit of the proposed research program is that it will deliver the direct and accurate determination of the mechanical properties and deformation mechanisms of amorphous materials across different length scales as a function of the preparation history, sample size, alloy composition, and probing volume while enabling structure-property relationships facilitated by novel sample preparation (e.g., thermoplastic forming) and characterization techniques (e.g., scanning probe microscopy). The knowledge gained from this program is anticipated to have a critical impact on the targeted design and the microstructural understanding of damage mechanisms in amorphous metals, which will aid in novel industrial and defense applications in Canada. The ability to optimize the metal alloy compositions for specific needs of the steel and manufacturing industries is expected to contribute to high-technology applications while enhancing the competitiveness of Canadian companies. Beyond its scientific, technological, and industrial impact, one of the main thrusts of this program is the training of several highly qualified personnel (HQP) in an equal, diverse, inclusive, and intellectually stimulating environment. The trained HQP will be equipped with unique skills and hands-on experience in an area that combines multidisciplinary expertise to perform investigations of materials at the nanoscale and to implement new experimental approaches while meeting the academic and industrial demands in Canada.