About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
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| Symposium
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Local Chemical Ordering and Its Impact on Mechanical Behaviors, Radiation Damage, and Corrosion
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| Presentation Title |
Atomic-Scale Structure of Zirconia: Formation of Metastable Polymorphs |
| Author(s) |
Maik K. Lang |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Maik K. Lang |
| Abstract Scope |
Phases that exist beyond their thermodynamic fields of stability are important to emerging technologies. Metastable phases are prevalent in far-from-equilibrium processing approaches and often exhibit desirable chemical and physical properties. However, there is limited understanding of the atomic-scale structural mechanisms that allow metastable phases to be recovered to ambient conditions. Metastability plays an important role in the synthesis of different zirconia (ZrO2) polymorphs. We utilized a complementary approach of neutron total scattering and Extended X-ray Absorption Fine-Structure (EXAFS) analysis to investigate the atomic-scale recovery process and the structural properties of the metastable tetragonal phase. Grain-size reduction to the nanometer range and bombardment with high-energy (GeV) ions were used to prepare this metastable form of zirconia. We show in this presentation that the formation of a hierarchical network of nanoscale domains of lower symmetry, separated by domain walls, is the underlying structural mechanism that provides the pathway to the metastable state. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Characterization, Nuclear Materials, Phase Transformations |