Nanoscale Characterization and Aim-Specific Design of Amorphous Materials

基础研究和工程应用都在探索材料的特性。具体来说，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、交通和通信。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使用寿命。该研究计划提出通过测量非晶金属合金的局部机械性能来研究非晶金属合金，从而最终实现其目标特定设计。传统的力学表征技术（如压缩、拉伸试验）只能测量面积/体积平均性能。因此，对于无序材料中偏离理想晶格如何改变局部力学性能，以及在相关长度尺度（即纳米尺度）上的支配物理和机械原理，人们还没有很好地理解。此外，缺乏这些基本知识阻碍了工程师和科学家努力建立非晶金属的结构-性能关系。为了填补这一基本空白，我们的研究计划将重点放在无序金属合金化合物的局部力学特性上，例如大块金属玻璃，即没有周期性晶体结构的非晶态金属，比钢更强，同时比常规金属更耐磨损和腐蚀。拟议研究计划的智力优势在于，它将直接准确地确定非晶材料在不同长度尺度上的机械性能和变形机制，作为制备历史，样品尺寸，合金成分和探测体积的函数，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)。从该项目中获得的知识预计将对目标设计和非晶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有望为高科技应用做出贡献，同时提高加拿大公司的竞争力。除了其科学、技术和工业影响之外，该计划的主要目标之一是在平等、多样化、包容和智力刺激的环境中培养几名高素质人才。训练有素的HQP将在一个结合多学科专业知识的领域中具备独特的技能和实践经验，以进行纳米级材料的研究，并在满足加拿大学术和工业需求的同时实施新的实验方法。

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.