Reduced Emissions, Alternative Energy Generation & Energy Storage
Understanding Short-range Order in Austenitic Steels for use in Hydrogen-Facing Applications
Electron diffuse scattering caused by short-range ordering (SRO) in austenitic steels has been observed using traditional selected area electron diffraction. However, such technique struggles to differentiate diffuse scattering signals stem from different types of SROs (heterogeneous and homogeneous SRO) in the system and thus limits the complete understanding of SRO behaviors. In this work, we demonstrate a procedure utilizing Scanning Electron Nanobeam Diffraction (or 4D-STEM) method and a basic Fluctuation Electron Microscopy technique, variance map, to analyze different type of SROs in a solution treated austenitic steel. The combination of 4D-STEM and variance map techniques enables SRO domain identification and deconvolution of homogeneous and heterogeneous SRO diffuse scattering.
Understanding transport mechanisms and mechanical properties in novel ion conducting ceramics
Developing novel solid electrolytes and exploring mechanical incompatibilities and failure modes at interfaces within batteries and other energy storage technologies.
A more complete description to come.
Corrosion behavior arising from biofeedstocks
Biofeedstocks represent an important sustainable fuel source, with potential to reduced green house emissions and dependency on oil. However, these feedstocks (e.g. soybean oil, palm oil, used cooking oils, etc) present unknown corrosion risks to processing and transport infrastructure. This collaborative effort aims to correlate molecular structure, chemistry and reaction pathways (in solution and at the metal-organic interface) to anticipate corrosion behavior.
A more complete description to come.
Green Steel
The reduction of iron ore is one of the leading contributors to greenhouse gases. This collaborative effort aims to leverage H-plasmas to eliminate the need for carbon-intensive blast furnaces and reduce the temperatures for direct reduction of iron (DRI) even further.
A more complete description to come.