BRIGE: Interfacial Defects and the Failure of Nanostructured Metals

这个扩大参与工程研究启动补助金（BRIGE）奖为通过界面工程开发耐失效纳米晶材料提供资金。 纳米晶体材料非常坚固，但经常会发生灾难性的断裂。 该研究计划旨在通过智能合金设计和后处理来控制原子级晶界结构和化学，从而提高这些材料的抗失效能力。 高质量的纳米晶金属将被合成和热处理，然后对晶界状态进行彻底的表征。 每种合金维持稳定塑性流动和抵抗快速裂纹扩展的能力将通过微尺度压缩和断裂实验来测量。 在此获得的见解将用于开发新的材料理论，将界面细节与失效机制联系起来，并优化抗损伤纳米结构材料的设计。该研究计划将促进具有极高强度和韧性的纳米晶材料的创造。 该研究的主要目标是量化不同的晶界缺陷状态如何改变纳米晶合金的失效开始，以便更充分地理解高度无序的工程材料的变形物理学。 随着纳米材料越来越多地融入当今技术，开发控制其特性的创新战略至关重要。 这项工作将为创造具有理想机械性能组合的纳米结构材料提供路线图，以实现新的高性能技术。 除了科学成果外，该项目还支持一项推广计划，以扩大代表性不足的少数民族和妇女在科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）领域的参与。 将采取多层次的方法，让高中学生和教师以及本科生参与并增强他们的权能。

This Broadening Participation Research Initiation Grant in Engineering (BRIGE) award provides funding for the development of failure-resistant nanocrystalline materials through interfacial engineering. Nanocrystalline materials are extremely strong, but often fracture catastrophically. This research program aims to improve the failure resistance of these materials by controlling atomic-level grain boundary structure and chemistry through intelligent alloy design and post-processing treatments. High-quality nanocrystalline metals will be synthesized and heat-treated, followed by thorough characterization of the grain boundary states. The ability of each alloy to sustain stable plastic flow and resist fast crack propagation will be measured with micro-scale compression and fracture experiments. The insights obtained here will be used to develop new materials theory which connects interfacial details to failure mechanisms and to optimize the design of damage-resistant nanostructured materials.This research program will facilitate the creation of nanocrystalline materials with both extreme strength and toughness. The primary goal of the research is to quantify how different grain boundary defect states alter the onset of failure in nanocrystalline alloys, so that the deformation physics of highly disordered engineering materials will be more fully understood. As nanomaterials are becoming increasingly integrated into present day technologies, the development of innovative strategies for controlling their properties is of utmost importance. This work will provide a roadmap for creating nanostructured materials with an ideal combination of mechanical properties, in order to enable new high-performance technologies. In addition to scientific deliverables, this project supports an outreach program to broaden the participation of underrepresented minorities and women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. A multi-tiered approach will be implemented to engage and empower high school students and teachers, as well as undergraduate university students.