There is a keen interest in developing advanced ceramics and innovative composites for a wide variety of applications including structural components, energy-efficient environmental and thermal barriers, and high performance electronic and sensor materials. Structural ceramics have unique properties that can be used to great advantage in advanced high temperature applications (diesel engines, turbines). Innovative ceramic composites are also being developed for use in high-temperature applications, wear resistant materials, and novel sensor and smart structure applications. Smart ceramics and piezo ceramic patch sensors may be attached to the external surfaces of structures, or directly embedded within materials to provide in-situ measurements of structural behavior. Thin film oxide-based structures and ferroelectric perovskites, are needed for fabrication of electronic devices such as sensors, transducers, nanomagnetics, filters and non-volatile memories.
This continuation proposal focuses on the basic science issues affecting both advanced structural ceramics and composites and electronic ceramic materials in a synergistic manner using innovative materials processing methods including nanoengineering. The subproject areas of particular interest to the Center for Advanced Materials and Smart Structures (CAMSS) include: o Nanoengineered and surface engineered coatings and materials (functionally gradient coatings, fuel cell materials,environmental and thermal barrier coatings, and metal-ceramic joining) o Nanocomposites and other innovative composites (nanostructured ceramic composite coatings, self-reinforced Si3N4 composites, nanomagnetics, and advanced oxide based fiber composites) and o Electronic and smart materials and structures (advanced electronic materials, novel sensor materials and health monitoring-smart structures)
The proposed center continuation activity will develop strong research and education programs in the science and technology of nanostructured and other advanced materials. Nanoscale science and technology is expected to revolutionize next-generation technology ranging from structural materials to smart structures, microelectronics tomedicine. To position US industry strategically in a leadership role, we need to equip students with the multidisciplinary skills needed for nano and other innovative engineering fields. We seek to create a crossdisciplinary infrastructure that transcends departmental barriers and lends itself to the integration of research and education in this vital field of advanced materials and smart structures. The primary goals of this program are: (1) continue to promote advanced materials engineering as a unifying research and education discipline; (2) continue to develop multidisciplinary curricula for training the new generation of graduate students; and (3) continue to recruit talented undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented groups into this field of immense technological importance.
All the subproject areas of this continuation proposal listed above will emphasize the following aspects of advanced and nanocrystalline materials in a coherent way, utilizing the complementary skills of the research teams at NC A&T SU, NCSU, ORNL, industry and other educational partners: 1) synthesis and processing; 2) characterization (macro, micro and nano); 3) structure-property correlations; and 4) modeling. Research facilities associated with NSF/CREST, NCSU-NSF/Atomic Resolution Electron Microscope Facility, NSF/ERC -University of Florida (connectivity) and the ORNL/ High Temperature Materials Laboratory facilities will play a pivotal role in the research based training of these students. The NSF Atomic Resolution TEM Facility at NCSU under the direction of NCSU Co-PI (JN) represents a unique research facility in the country, where students can be trained in atomic-level characterization techniques that are essential for nanoengineering of novel materialsand structures. The above research facilities (mechanical test equipment, innovative processing facilities and various characterization facilities) will provide a unique platform to foster multidisciplinary approaches for integrating graduate education and research, recruiting minority graduate and undergraduate students, and introducing new course curricula in this field of vital importance. The results of these fundamental studies will be used to develop models to explain novel advanced materials and unusual properties of the nanostructured materials.The eventual aim of these activities will be to develop predictive tools for designing advanced and novel nanostructured materials with unique properties so that a knowledge base for "creating materials by design" will be established. Strong outreach and technical transfer efforts targeted towards the local and global community will also continue as a part of the center activity.
