Research in SPM group is centred around physical metallurgy for sustainability.
Titanium Alloys for Nuclear Applications
The project focuses on studying the irradiation damage mechanisms of Ti alloys for accelerators and fusion applications. This project is focussing largely on simulations, such as LAMMPS, SRIM/TRIM, FISPACT-II and FLUKA. Experimentally, the project will work on characterisation of irradiated titanium alloys using methods such as scanning electron microscope, nanoindentation, and X-ray Diffraction analysis. The experiment results will be utilised to validate the simulations.
X-ray Scattering Techniques for Investigating Radiation Damage in ODS RAFM Steels
This project is focused on studying irradiation induced microstructural changes of oxide-dispersion strengthened (ODS) Fe-9Cr and Fe-14Cr reduced activation ferritic martensitic (RAFM) steels for fusion applications. X-ray synchrotron techniques such as 3D Bragg Ptychography will be carried out to quantify the damage induced to the materials after neutron irradiation.
Development of Tungsten-Copper Composites
This project focuses on manufacturing and characterisation of tungsten-copper composites, used for eventual fusion applications. This project is particularly interested in using in situ mechanical testing methods to study mechanistic mechanisms of W-Cu composites.
Printing high purity copper via Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) is of great interests currently for many applications. However, oxide layers have a significant effect on the printability of Cu powders. The recycling of the powders largely affect the powder characteristics, and consequently the density and properties of the LPBF builds. This project is focused on determining the relationship between the quality of the LPBF prints and the oxidation of both the virgin and recycled Cu powder from different powder suppliers.
Additive Manufacturing of Copper Alloys
Copper alloys are incredibly useful due to their high thermal and electrical conductivity; however, their mechanical and conductive properties rapidly decline at higher temperatures. Furthermore, the high reflectivity of copper makes it challenging to print using a standard laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) system. Alloying copper to help improve the conductive and mechanical properties at higher temperatures, whilst also improving the printability to ensure dense components can consistently be successfully printed is the goal of this research.
Understanding Hydrogen Embrittlement Mechanisms Using In-Situ Techniques
In situ tensile experiment will be carried out at cryogenic temperatures on hydrogen charged engineering alloys in order to understand the mechanisms of hydrogen embrittlement. By collecting information through methods such as SEM, EBSD, and XRD while applying loads to various alloys it is possible to create conclusions on the change in deformation and fracture behaviour on the microstructural scale as a result of hydrogen presence. Due to the future of hydrogen energy, it is essential to better understand the hydrogen embrittlement phenomena in the materials used for its storage and infrastructure.
Additive Manufacturing of CuCrZr Alloys for Fusion Applications
A key challenge in fusion research is the development and manufacturing of materials for extreme temperatures and irradiation flux loadings. This is particularly important for plasma-facing components (PFCs) such as the first wall material and divertor. This project is focused on the development and characterisation of CuCrZr alloys for fusion energy applications.
Understanding the Ductile-Brittle Transition Temperature of steels for nuclear applications
Fe-Cr ferritic steels are the leading candidate structural material for EU-DEMO; however, its susceptibility to thermal creep limits its upper operating temperature. Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) Fe-Cr steels promise to increase the thermal creep resistance relative to traditional steels, but early studies also reveal this ODS variant has a higher ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT), thus making it more susceptible to irradiation embrittlement.
In situ tensile testing with synchrotron X-ray diffraction, neutron diffraction and scanning electron microscopy facilities will be used to understand the mechanism(s) driving the increase in DBTT for ODS steels. This work will inform the design of new ODS steels with lower DBTT temperatures.
Precious metals are an indispensable material for many production processes and products in today’s world. Due to precious metals' unique ability to catalyze chemical reactions, precious metals have a wide range of applications as catalysis. For catalysis, a larger specific surface area means better catalytic effect, and porous metal materials are a good choice. This project aims to develop additive manufacturing routes for the fabrication of multi-scale porous precious metals for catalytic applications.