Research

Relevant fields of application

Materials characterization is used in a wide variety of fields, some of which include the following.

Renewable energy

Advanced materials are the key to improving energy production. They can help boost efficiency and lower costs involved in additive manufacturing. Fuel cells are a useful power source that convert energy from fuel, such as hydrogen, into electrical energy.

Manufacturing

Metals are all around us, from cosmetics to batteries. They are strong, yet moldable, act as electricity conductors and are often made up of multiple elements. Advancements in steel, for example, allow us to access unique properties while lowering the carbon footprint.

Biomedicine

In order to treat symptoms and diseases, researchers need to understand the cellular components of our bodies and the medications/devices helping us. Microscopy is used to understand the inner workings of cellular materials and structures.

Information Technology

Developing new materials is essential to creating faster, more energy efficient computers, cell phones, data storage, and so on. The integration of more magnetic materials is one large opportunity in the field.

Select research publications

Tessmer, J., & Graef, M. (2021). Low-Cost Direct Electron Detection in the SEM for EBSD and ECCI. Microscopy and Microanalysis, 27(S1), 998-999. doi:10.1017/S1431927621003780.

Liu, C., Kacar, Y., Webler, B. et al. Chemical Composition Modification of Inclusions in Steels by Controlled Ca Treatment. Metall Mater Trans B 52, 2837–2841 (2021).

T. Wong and V. Sokalski, “Magnetic Nanohorns for measurement of the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction: A micromagnetic study,” in IEEE Transactions on Magnetics.

Britt, T., Pistorius, P.C. Catalytic graphitization of Glassy Carbon by Molten Fe-C_sat. Metall Mater Trans B 52, 1–5 (2021).

Dunsmore, L. (2021). Tackling challenges related to thick electrodes in platinum group metal free polymer electrolyte fuel cells (Order No. 28410679). Available from Dissertations & Theses @ Carnegie Mellon University; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (2532087926).

Seunghee A. Oh, Rachel E. Lim, Joseph W. Aroh, Andrew C. Chuang, Benjamin J. Gould, Behnam Amin-Ahmadi, Joel V. Bernier, Tao Sun, P. Chris Pistorius, Robert M. Suter & Anthony D. Rollett (2021) High speed synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments resolve microstructure and phase transformation in laser processed Ti-6Al-4V, Materials Research Letters, 9:10, 429-436.

Piva, S.P.T.; Pistorius, P.C. Aluminum-Free Steelmaking: Desulfurization and Nonmetallic Inclusion Evolution of Si-Killed Steel in Contact with CaO-SiO₂-CaF₂-MgO Slag. Processes 2021, 9, 1258.