---

Metal-Matrix Composites: Advances in Processing, Characterization, Performance and Analysis: On-Demand Oral Presentations
Sponsored by: TMS Structural Materials Division, TMS: Composite Materials Committee
Program Organizers: Srivatsan Tirumalai; Pradeep Rohatgi, University of Wisconsin; Simona Hunyadi Murph, Savannah River National Laboratory

Monday 8:00 AM
March 14, 2022
Room: Materials Design
Location: On-Demand Room

---

Shape-selective Palladium-based Nanomaterials: Simona Hunyadi Murph¹; ¹Savannah River National Laboratory
    Considerable progress has been made recently toward the design and synthesis of highly active nanocatalysts with tunable particle shapes and sizes. The larger surface-to-volume ratios of nanoscale catalysts compared to their bulk counterparts makes them attractive candidates for many chemical reactions. Since over 80% of all chemical reactions involve the use of catalysts, state-of-the-art advances in this field is highly desired. Noble metals, platinum and palladium nanoparticles are important in many applications because of their extraordinary physical and chemical properties. Palladium and platinum are some of the most widely used for industrial applications because they have extraordinary physical and chemical properties and withstand harsh environments. This presentation will describe a variety of procedures used to create shape-selective nanocatalysts. Their catalytic applications will be described in detail.

A Study on Thermal Properties of Composite Metal Foams for Applications in Tank Cars Carrying Hazardous Materials: Afsaneh Rabiei¹; ¹North Carolina State University
    Each year, millions of tons of hazardous materials are shipped through tank-cars on railroads. Accidents involving these tank-cars can create punctures that release these hazardous materials into the surrounding area resulting in human fatalities and substantial damage to the environment. Despite of all enhancements to mitigate the consequences of such accidents, there is still an immediate need for novel material with superior puncture and fire resistance with lower weight than the current carbon-steel in use to improve the safety and efficacy of tank cars carrying HAZMAT. Composite metal foam (CMF) is a novel class of light-weight material made of closely packed metallic hollow spheres with a surrounding metallic matrix. In this study the latest developments on evaluating the performance of composite metal foam against fire and puncture/ impact through both experimental and modeling approaches will be reported and compared to those properties of the current bulk steel materials in use.

Engineered Nano-antenna Susceptors as Efficient Platforms for Efficient Uptake and Release of Analytes: Simona Hunyadi Murph¹; ¹Savannah River National Laboratory
    In order to avoid exposure to environmental contaminants, one needs to develop cost effective sequestration technologies that can be easily deployed in contaminated areas, can be further retrieved and disposed in a safe manner and does not generate additional waste. Nanomaterials can be used as efficient sorbent materials of contaminants because they have an increased surface area-to-volume ratio and show higher reactivity than bulk. Their surface chemistry can be easily tailored for targeted in situ sensing and remediation processes. The rate of sorbed contaminants release is localized, noncontact, and targeted. The nanoparticles can be selectively stimulated to generate the desired amount of heat in a controlled manner. This presentation will demonstrate an efficient and rapid technique that can be used to load organic dyes on nanoengineered materials and remotely released in a controlled manner when exposed to plasmonic (light) or alternating magnetic field.

Role and Potential of Copper Nanocomposites for Use in Power and Electrical Systems: An Overview: Yue-Hao Choong¹; Krishnan Manickavasagam¹; Manoj Gupta¹; Srivatsan Tirumalai²; ¹National University of Singapore; ²The University of Akron
    This presentation will focus on the role and implications that can result as economies shift towards reduced carbon emission with increased importance being given to a “greener environment” thereby emphasizing upon electrification as a source of “clean” energy. In this elucidation, an effort will be made to elaborate upon current developments in the domain of copper nano-composite materials for selection and use in electrical devices to meet the emerging demands. The addition of additives, such as carbon allotropes and metal oxides, to a copper matrix can significantly enhance electrical, thermal and mechanical properties of the resultant material. However, an integration of the phases present is a non-trivial task that often results in detrimental effects. This makes economic scalability of the fabrication technique difficult. Also, the role of chemical composition, method of synthesis, characterization techniques, process-structure-property relationships and manufacturing readiness for both conventional techniques and additive manufacturing techniques will be highlighted

Cancelled
Wireless, Self-powered Stretchable Sensing System Based on Laser-induced Graphene Composites: Huanyu Cheng¹; ¹Pennsylvania State University
    A fundamental understanding of soft on-body sensors, stretchable wireless circuits, and powering modules in the integrated bioelectronic systems is critical for the design of wireless, self-powered stretchable devices to long-term and accurately monitor health-related signals. This talk will present device systems based on LIG composites to allow for artifact-free sensing, robust wireless transmission upon mechanical deformations, and high power/energy for long-term device operation. The conductive LIG patterns with metal coatings (e.g., Cu or Ag) will not only yield high-performance stretchable metal antennas for wireless sensing, but also yield stretchable printed circuit boards for wireless transmission. Connecting the antennas with a rectifier also results in a rectenna for harvesting the ambient radiofrequency energies. Furthermore, the nanomaterials integrated on the 3D LIG foam can provide high energy/power density micro-supercapacitors to power sensors, as well as a triboelectric nanogenerator to charge the micro-supercapacitors.

In Situ Study of Spontaneous Nanocrystallization of Intermetallics for Interconnection of High-power Electronics: Ying Zhong¹; Chunqing Wang²; ¹University of South Florida; ²Harbin Institute of Technology
    A new phase-transformation-induced path to spontaneous formation of extreme nanograin structure will be presented. In-situ-heating-mode-microscopy exhibited a substantial grain-growth of Cu₆Sn₅. During cooling, the grain-growth continued, but it spontaneously switched to grain-refinement mode on phase transformation through ~180 °C from η-Cu₆Sn₅ to η’-Cu₆Sn₅, ending up with an extremely small nanograin size of ~2.5 nm. The cooling cycling always restores the nanograin size regardless of thermal exposure history, making this to be the first demonstration to stabilize the nanograin with its own spontaneous behavior. The Young’s Modulus was significantly reduced by ~×3, and the elongation was remarkably increased by ~×8 to ~9%. In this presentation, we will discuss the cooling and phase transformation at atomic level and reveal a new path to manufacture and stabilize extremely refined sub-4 nm grains by taking advantage of the spontaneous phase transformation behavior.

Characterization of Metal-matrix Composites Synthesized by Reactive Melt Penetration of SiO2-based Preforms in Molten Al-Ti and Al-Fe Alloys: Constantin Solomon¹; Anthony Yurcho²; Matthias Zeller³; Timothy Wagner¹; ¹Youngstown State University; ²Zekelman Industries; ³Purdue University
    Two different metal-matrix composites have been synthesized by reactive melt penetration of SiO2 and SiO2 + SiC preforms in Al-Fe and Al-Ti alloys. The morphology, chemical composition, and crystallography of the metallic and ceramic phases in the obtained parts have been investigated using analytical light and electron microscopy, X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The fracture mechanism of the composite material subjected to dynamic impact testing was assessed using light and scanning electron microscopy. Following the reactive melt penetration process several binary and ternary ceramic and metallic phases have been identified in the composite materials: Al2O3, TiC, AlTi, AlFe, AlFeSi. Using electron diffraction two intermetallic phases were identified as Al13Fe4 (monoclinic C2/m) and Al4Fe1.7Si (hexagonal P63/mmc). The composite obtained from SiO2 + SiC preforms in Al-Ti alloys kept in atmosphere at room temperature shows continuous degradation of the mechanical integrity.

Manufacturing of Nano-reinforced Aluminium Composites by a Combination of Stir Mixing, Ultrasonic Processing and High-pressure Die Casting: Guangyu Liu¹; Mahfuz Karim¹; Dmitry Eskin¹; Brian McKay¹; ¹Brunel University London
    Due to their high specific strength, aluminum-based metal matrix nanocomposites reinforced with ceramics are an attractive proposition for applications in the transport sector. High Pressure Die Casting (HPDC) is a cost-effective manufacturing route for the mass production of aluminum castings exhibiting complex near-net-shape geometries. Through the application of high pressure and high cooling rates, improved distribution of the reinforcing particles compared to other casting methods can be attained. This is a result of the increased filling capacity of the composite melt and the resultant finer grain structure. In this study, an AlSi9Cu3 (LM24) commercial alloy was reinforced with SiC and Al2O3 nanoparticles. The reinforcement was introduced using novel Al-nanoSiC and Al-nanoAl2O3 alloys and processed using stir mixing, ultrasonic processing and HPDC technologies to achieve enhanced mechanical properties. The effect of the nanoparticles on the microstructure and the mechanical properties have been investigated and reported herein.

Novel Nanophotocatalysts for Detection and Remediation of Contaminated Ecosystems: Simona Hunyadi Murph¹; ¹Savannah River National Laboratory
    Noble metal nanoparticles, particularly gold and silver, have exciting physical and chemical properties that are entirely different from the bulk. For chemical sensing and imaging, the optical properties of metallic nanoparticles provide a wide range of opportunities, all of which ultimately arise from the collective oscillations of conduction band electrons (‘‘plasmons’’) in response to external electromagnetic radiation. The optical properties of the anisotropic and isotropic nanomaterials become very important for examining surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effects. SERS can be used for detection of traces amount of substances for a large variety of molecules of environmental, biomedical, and pharmaceutical of interest. In this talk, I will describe recent advances in chemical analyte detection and optical imaging applications using anisotropic metallic nanoparticles.

Cancelled
Development of Coating Methods of Fiber Reinforced for Different Matrix Composites for Industrial Applications: Emel Çalışkan¹; Kaan Ipek²; Derya Dispinar³; Erol İnce¹; ¹İstanbul Cerrahpaşa University; ²Teknik Aluminyum San. Tic. A.S.; ³İstanbul Technical University
     Fiber reinforced metal matrix composites contain high potential for improving properties such as mechanical strength, elastic behaviour and electrical properties. Thus, the development of fiber reinforced aluminum alloys creates an opportunity for its use in the automotive, aerospace and aerospace type fields. In this study, it is aimed to develop the interface properties required to make aluminum composite with reinforcement elements such as carbon fiber, metallic fiber and glass fiber. Accordingly, by coating the fibers with different proportions of metals such as electroless nickel and copper, the wetting ability of aluminum will be improved and its effect on mechanical properties will be examined.

---