This proposal is for a US-Indo research collaboration between materials scientists Carlos Levi of the University of California, Santa Barbara and Vikram Jayaram of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. The project is entitled `Phase Selection in Ceramic Oxides Under Non-Equilibrium Conditions.` The investigators will study the evolution of oxide microstructures in ceramic oxides synthesized under conditions wherein thermodynamic equilibrium is highly constrained. The program will focus on relatively simple binary and higher component systems using techniques with proven potential to bring about substantial metastability. Compositions produced in this manner will be heat treated to study the hierarchy of states by which the non-equilibrium structure evolves towards a more stable one. The primary objective is to enhance the understanding of phase selection processes, their relationship to fundamental forms of metastability, as well as their impact on microstructure evolution through subsequent transformations. Scope: The PIs have extensive experience in this area and have collaborated productively in the past. The bulk of the experimental work will be carried out at the Indian Institute of Science. The US collaborator will provide guidance in the design of experiments and analysis of results, as well as access to atomization and characterization facilities at the UC, Santa Barbara. The research is expected to generate a mutually beneficial interaction with the ongoing research on the synthesis of structural ceramics and functional inorganic oxides at the NSF Materials Research Laboratory at UC. This project will provide a unique international opportunity for a US graduate student to participate in the experimental research at the IISc, Bangalore.
