| Abstract Scope |
Structural materials lie at the base of modern energy infrastructure. Their design critically impacts the safety of power plants and power delivery services, especially during catastrophic events (earthquakes, explosions, etc.) where large dynamic loads can lead to spectacular failings. In this talk, we present a promising functional material that can protect our energy infrastructure from shockwave loads: superelastic cerium stabilized zirconia powder. This powdered ceramic has a tunable and reversible martensitic phase transformation, which is associated with a large hysteresis loop that allows it to dissipate substantial kinetic energy as heat. In this talk, an overview of the extrinsic effects of particle size and polycrystallinity on the phase transformation are discussed, including results from in situ neutron scattering experiments, DSC, XRD, and SEM. We show a broad, continuous regime of functionality, which is unique to the granular form. Future applications of doped zirconia in other forms are also presented. |