Research

UCSB TriBeam Tomography Instrument

The development of high fidelity material property models often requires three-dimensional information on the distribution of phases, grains or extrinsic defects.

Rumpling of platinum aluminide (PtAl) bond coating during thermal cycling

Our research aims to discover, design and synthesize new material systems to overcome the fundamental barriers to higher temperature operation with requisite durability in future gas turbines.

Among all structural materials, nickel-base alloys are unique for their ability to operate at 90% of their melting point with substantial mechanical loads in chemically severe environments.

Faults in Co3(Al,W) precipitates that form during high temperature deformation.

The discovery of a stable ternary Co3(Al, W) intermetallic compound with an ordered L12 structure has provided a pathway for development of a new class of load-bearing cobalt-base high temperature alloys.

We have developed a unique capability for high temperature fatigue testing in the kHz frequency range for characterization of the refractory-rich metallic and CMC materials.

Different resonance modes for a test specimen in the 20 - 200 kHz frequency range

A new methodology for in-situ characterization of evolving damage using nonlinear ultrasonic measurements via analysis of the feedback signal of an ultrasonic fatigue system.

The overarching goal of this research is to define new strategies for development of structural materials for air-breathing hypersonic propulsion systems.

Remarkable progress in the synthesis of nanoparticles along with their functionalization and assembly into “multi-material” architectures has enabled new domains of optical, electronic, and magnetic material properties to be accessed.

The convergence of new computational capabilities, advanced characterization techniques and the ability to generate and harness large-scale data enables new pathways for the discovery, development and deployment of advanced materials systems.