About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Thin Films and Coatings: Properties, Processing and Applications
|
| Presentation Title |
Utilizing Thin Film Depositions to Design Novel Radiation Tolerant Metal Alloys |
| Author(s) |
William S. Cunningham |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
William S. Cunningham |
| Abstract Scope |
The extreme environments produced by next generation nuclear reactors has led to increased interest in designing novel materials capable of simultaneously withstanding high temperatures, mechanical stresses, and radiation fluxes. Nanocrystalline metal alloys have long shown promise in this sphere, yet their inherent thermal instability arising from their high grain boundary density has driven a need for developing targeted engineering strategies for stabilizing their microstructure. While classical approaches such as thermodynamic and kinetic thermal stabilization methods have yielded promising results, novel approaches utilizing metastable nonequilibrium features, termed defect phases, have led to significantly enhanced material properties. However, the vast microstructural and compositional space for alloys containing such defect phases necessitates a rapid synthesis and characterization approach for exploring this space. Here, we outline our work in utilizing thin film deposition methodologies to explore the large design space for materials for extreme environments, highlighting recent work on defect phase containing Al-based alloys. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Thin Films and Interfaces, Nuclear Materials, Phase Transformations |