ICACC19 Abstracts

James L. Mueller Award

Dileep Singh, Argonne National Laboratory, USA

Abstract:  Extreme environments and operating conditions of power generation from renewable energy sources is necessitating development of components and systems using advanced materials.  This presentation will discuss the opportunities and challenges in various renewable energy technologies including solar, wind, and geothermal.  Role of engineered ceramic materials in fulfilling the gaps and/or meeting the material technological challenges will be discussed.  Attributes of ceramics and their composites, vis-à-vis to metals, that make them the materials of choice are their high-temperature mechanical properties, corrosion and creep resistance, etc. As part of the presentation, specific example will presented that will outline the development of a ceramic composite system for high temperature thermal energy storage from bench to prototype scale. Finally, the need for techno-economic analysis to demonstrate the viability of the advanced ceramic materials for renewable energy applications will be discussed.

Bridge Building Award

Jerzy Lis, AGH University of Science and Technology, Poland

Abstract:  The presentation is prepared based on author experience and the results obtained by AGH University of Science and Technology research group working in the field of ceramic materials synthesis using selected rapid high-energy techniques (RHET). Two RHET methods are described in details namely: Combustion Synthesis is also called Self-Propagating High-Temperature Synthesis (SHS) and Laser Rapid Manufacturing (LRM). Those approaches lead to technology enable to use strong high-energy sources for synthesis of different compounds associated with local consolidation of materials. These techniques should be considered as harvesting energy methods because reaction is initiated locally, then process goes in self-sustaining regime and chemical energy is generated from ambient surrounding powdery bed to provide an uninterrupted synthesis.  Considering materials science point of view, physicochemical processes occurring in the micro-regions undergoing rapid temperature rise with of next flash cooling resulted in very effective and untypical in nature phenomena compare to more conventional heating. Such combination effects lead to preparation new materials having interesting properties. Examples of such phenomena occurring in conditions of strong sources of chemical energy (SHS) or laser energy (LRM) used to prepare ceramic materials are analysed. It can be demonstrated in different engineering ceramics systems e.g. Si-C-N,  Ti-Si-C-N and  Ti-Al-C-N  as well as  Al-O-N. It has been concluded, that such RHET techniques brought significant contribution to the ceramic processing and may be considered as perspective approach to materials engineering.

Plenary Speakers 

Shunpei Yamazaki, Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd., Japan

Abstract:  Technologies driving artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of things (IoT) are advancing day by day, and the activities surrounding this field do not show signs of slowing down. It is expected that in near future, networked AI and IoT will pervade the entire human society, and the amount of data transmission through our networks will expand to the limit. The society fears that this will require enormous amounts of power and a power reduction of AI by 1000 times is demanded.

In 2009, we discovered c-axis aligned crystalline indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (CAAC-IGZO), which is a crystalline oxide semiconductor material. CAAC-IGZO is layered, and has a novel crystal structure. It is highly aligned in the c-axis direction and is not aligned in the a-b plane direction, but has no clear crystal grain boundaries. CAAC-IGZO is a ceramic material that can be applied to active devices, which can be applied to hardware such as a graphics processing unit (GPU), a central processing unit (CPU), a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a 3D-NAND flash, and a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). AI chips are fabricated using the hardware listed above, and they are fabricated using Si semiconductor material. More DRAM chips are on an AI chip more than any other chip, and they consume power more than any other chip. This technology enables extreme reduction of AI chip’s power consumption.

Ceramics play key role in various critical developments in AI technology. In future crystalline oxide semiconductor will be the key technology to make AI prevalent throughout the world. This presentation will go across boundaries and introduce the applications of IGZO ceramics in an active device for AI technology.

Michael J. Cima, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

Abstract:  Medical technologies are evolving at a very rapid pace.  Portable communications devices and other handheld electronics are influencing our expectations of future medical tools.  The advanced medical technologies of our future will not necessarily be large expensive systems.  They are just as likely to be small and disposable.  In addition, the lines between drugs, devices, diagnostics, and procedures are being blurred.  This talk will review how microsystems and microdevices are already impacting health care as commercial products or in clinical development.  Example systems include point of care diagnostics (POCT), patient monitoring tools, systemic drug delivery, local drug delivery, and imaging tools are described.  These technologies are moving care from hospitals to outpatient settings, the physician’s office, community health centers, nursing homes, and the patient’s home.

2019 ECD Global Young Investigator Award

Wei Ji, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, China

Abstract:  Dense and fine grain structure is the goal of ceramic sintering. However, common sintering processes with high sintering temperature and long soaking time lead to inevitable grain growth. A new ceramic sintering approach employing plastic deformation as the dominant mechanism is proposed, at low temperature close to the onset point of grain growth and under high pressure. High performance Boron Cabide ceramics with full density without grain growth were fabricated based on the technology. This idea and method provide both time and energy efficient ways for B₄C, and also facilitate preparation of other advanced ceramics such as nano-ceramics for practical applications.

2019 ECD Jubilee Global Diversity Award

Katalin Balázsi, Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science, Centre for Energy Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary

Abstract:  Modern methods of vacuum deposition provide great flexibility for manipulating material chemistry and structure, leading to films and coatings with special properties. These new special properties of nanocomposites are often unachievable in bulk materials.

A combination of pure carbon-based thin films with metallic nanoparticles can enhance certain physical properties in a nanocomposite. In this presentation, the effect of deposition temperature on the formation of TiC / Ti phases and mechanical properties of magnetron sputtered TiC based coatings will be showed. The thin films were deposited by DC magnetron sputtering at various temperatures from 25°C to 800°C in ultrahigh vacuum from two targets (Ti and C). The deposition parameters were chosen in order to synthetize amorphous, nanocrystalline and columnar TiC as well. The hardness of films with various nanostructures was found between 7 and 26 GPa, modulus of elasticity between 135 and 219 GPa. The films with pure cubic TiC phase exhibited two times higher hardness than films with the softer hexagonal Ti phase.

Lisa Rueschhoff, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Lab, USA

Abstract:  Historically, both inherent processing difficulties and catastrophic brittle failure in ceramics have limited their use in high stress, critical applications. In this talk I will give an overview of my research with an insight to ceramic structure-properties-processing relationships on all length scales. Traditional powder processing limitations can be overcome through the use of both preceramic polymers and ceramic powder aqueous suspensions. Both can be rheological designed and modified to be tailored for a variety of advanced processing techniques, with a special focus given to direct ink writing additive manufacturing. In recent years, manipulation of ceramic structure on the nanoscale has led to the discovery of new properties and behaviors that are distinct from the bulk scale. For example, ceramic mechanical metamaterials have been designed that exhibit ductile-like deformation and strain recovery due to their tailored nanostructure design. Final remarks of the talk will address the importance of networking and mentoring in personal and project success, along with opportunities available for involvement within ACerS.

Jie Zhang, Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

Abstract:  Nuclear energy is regarded as an important resource supplying low-carbon electricity at stable and affordable costs. The reliable and safety operation is essential for the application of nuclear energy. Currently, the worldwide focus in LWRs is the development of accident-tolerant Fuels (ATF) with enhanced behavior under design-basis accident and severe-accident conditions, along with improved performance under normal operating condition. The cladding coating strategy is economically attractive, so-called near-term concept. In our work, PVD technique is employed for ceramic coating synthesis with temperature friendly to Zircaloy cladding. Moreover, the extremely harsh nuclear environments and high reactivity of Zircaloy require integrated design of coating composition and structure. For nano-laminated MAX phases, which display high resistance to oxidation and ion irradiation, multilayered coating structure is optimized and their feasibility for ATF application is evaluated. Besides, gradient ceramic coating system with combined merits of feasible performance and chemical compatibility is designed and characterized. It is expected that the safety margin of the fuel cladding system in LWRs could be enhanced by applying ceramic coating.