Materials Engineering

Materials with appropriate properties have always been crucial for technological achievements. Understanding the microstructural evolution of materials is a key component in predicting their behaviour and tailoring their properties. We study how microstructures of different materials evolve during, e.g., mechanical loadings and heat treatments. A key component in our research is the development of computational material models and methods for data analysis. Current examples include novel ways of reconstructing strain fields from diffraction data and 4D (3D + time) segmentation methods for tracking the evolution of microstructural features.

Catalyst research focuses on the atomic-scale characterization of model materials with well-defined surface structures, using a combination of classical ultra-high vacuum methods as well as novel ambient-pressure methods based on synchrotron X-rays. The chemical and electronic properties of the materials for catalysis are probed. On the other side, the investigation of energy materials focuses not only on the properties related to energy conversion but also on interactions with the environment (e.g. soft matter). The vision is to identify new energy generation and storage mechanisms and to combine them in hybrid devices.

The research is centred around investigating mechanisms associated with the degradation of materials that are subjected to high temperatures, mechanical load and/or generally harsh environments for the purpose of understanding the degradation over time, such that component lifetimes can be assessed. This ranges from corrosion and hydrogen embrittlement in engineering materials to radiation-induced degradation of reactor materials in fusion and fission reactors. Examples of ongoing work include modelling defect-induced hydride precipitation in metals, charting potential trap sites for hydrogen in high-strength steels and predicting radiation- and impurity-induced grain boundary embrittlement in nuclear reactor materials.