TMS2023 will feature three special symposia as part of the Frontiers of Materials Award, a competitive award given to top-performing early career professionals. As part of the award, the honoree organizes a symposium on a hot or emergent technical topic and delivers a keynote lecture during the symposium. Meet this year’s awardees and make time to hear these invited presentations during TMS2023.
Functional Composition Control of Surface Mechanics in Soft, Water-Swollen Gels
Symposium Date: Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Symposium Organizer and Keynote Speaker: Alison Dunn, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Keynote Presentation Title: “Soft Surface Layers on Swollen Gels Mediate Their Contact and Sliding Mechanics”
Keynote Presentation Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Hilton Bayfront Hotel, Sapphire Level, Ballroom D
About the Presentation
Water content and mobility determine the properties and performance of hydrogels. At the surface of a hydrogel, the swelling causes a soft surface gradient layer due to the boundary with the open bath. We have developed methods to estimate the thickness and character of the gradient layers using instrumented probe techniques at the nanoscale and microscale. In this talk, the speaker will highlight the ways in which this soft gradient layer redistributes the force applied in contacting situations, facilitates robust low friction, and allows for unique adhesive properties.
Intermetallic Alloys at the Edge of Complexity: Structural and Kinetic Aspects
Symposium Date: Thursday, March 23, 2023
Symposium Organizer and Keynote Speaker: Ashwin Shahani, University of Michigan
Keynote Presentation Title: “Capturing the Growth of Quasicrystals Near- and Far-from-Equilibrium”
Keynote Presentation Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: San Diego Convention Center, Room 28E
About the Presentation
Since their discovery around forty years ago, quasicrystals (QCs) have attracted substantial research interest due to their unique structure. Even so, there are still remaining questions in terms of why and how they form in the first place. Here, we present our efforts on tracking the nucleation and growth of QCs near- and far-from-equilibrium, by leveraging state-of-the-art dynamic imaging techniques. Our research was conducted with the aid of time-resolved synchrotron-based X-ray microscopy and dynamic transmission electron microscopy. By coupling these two techniques, we have investigated a broad range of length-scales (from tens of nm to hundreds of ìm) and solidification pathways (1 K/s to 106 K/s cooling rates). The results provide a wealth of knowledge on the emergence of QCs in deeply undercooled melts; the influence of phasons on QC coalescence; and the growth mode of the QCs from a liquid (solidification) and from a solid phase (precipitation).
Ultra-Wide Bandgap Materials and Heterostructures for Next Generation Power, RF and Quantum Applications
Symposium Dates: Tuesday, March 21, 2023
Symposium Organizer and Keynote Speaker: Yuji Zhao, Rice University
Keynote Presentation Title: “Ultrawide Bandgap Materials: Properties, Synthesis and Devices”
Keynote Presentation Time: 2:30 p.m.
Location: Hilton Bayfront Hotel, Aqua Level, Room 309
About the Presentation
Ultrawide bandgap (UWBG) materials such as diamond, Ga2O3, BN, and AlN, are a new class of semiconductors that possess a wide range of attractive properties, including very large bandgap, high critical electric field, high carrier mobility, and chemical inertness. Due to these outstanding characteristics, UWBG materials are promising candidates to enable high-performance devices for RF and power electronics, ultraviolet photonics, quantum sensing, and quantum computing applications. Despite their great potential, the research of UWBG semiconductors is still at a nascent stage and represents a challenging interdisciplinary research area of physics, materials science, and devices engineering. In this talk, the presenter will give an overview on the material properties, synthesis methods and device applications of UWBG semiconductors including diamond, Ga2O3, h-BN, and AlN.
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