Heterogeneous Nucleation
To promote nucleation in liquids and glasses, small “impurity” (second-phase)
particles are often introduced deliberately. TiB2, for example, has
long been used as a grain-refining agent for cast aluminum. The importance
of surface chemistry, surface structure, and interfacial reactions, however,
are now recognized. A unified theory of heterogeneous nucleation
that incorporates these features is needed. Under a contract recently
funded by AFOSR, my group teams
with that of Prof. W.
Buhro’s in the Chemistry Department
at Washington University to examine the effect of nanometer-sized nucleants
on the crystallization behavior of select Al-based metallic glasses. The
incorporation of nano-sized heterogeneous nucleants with precise surface
chemistry and structure into these glasses will allow a clarification of
the mechanism of heterogeneous nucleation, which will lead to a deeper
understanding of heterogeneous nucleation and allow more control over nanostructure
evolution. Further, the effectiveness of nanometer-sized nucleants
will be explored for the first time.
List of recent publications:
Coming soon...
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webpage created by: Van T. Huett email:
vthuett@artsci.wustl.edu
Last Updated: 11/7/01