DAVID E. LUZZI

DESCRIPTION OF RESEARCH INTERESTS:

Interfaces in Structural Materials--The successful development of advanced structural materials requires a basic understanding of interface structure at the atomic level and the resultant implications for interface properties. I characterize the atomic structure of interfaces in a variety of materials and correlate these structures with material properties. This research includes both experimental and theoretical studies. The majority of the experimental work is conducted in PennUs High-Resolution Electron Microscopy Facility. The theoretical work is conducted using supercomputers at Penn and at national centers. The goal of the research is to create a self-consistent model of an interface in which the location and identity of every atom is defined. This detailed knowledge of the structure of the interface provides the foundation for controlled examination of the properties. This technique is now being incorporated in studies of complex boundaries in ordered intermetallic compounds and composite materials.

Phase Stability of Metallic Alloys and Compounds--Solid state processing routes to the production of novel metastable materials with unique properties are being investigated. My studies include investigations of the stability of parent crystalline phases and the change in structural and chemical order during phase transformations. Of particular interest are driven transformations induced by mechanical deformation, milling or irradiation in which the resultant phase can be a strong function of processing parameters and composition and can possess structures ranging from crystalline to nanocrystalline to amorphous with a wide range of attendant properties.