Ke An

Dr. Ke An is a Distinguished R&D Staff Scientist and the Lead Scientist of the VULCAN instrument at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). Dr. An earned his Ph.D. from Virginia Tech in 2003, and since then has worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Dr. An is engaged in materials science research using neutron scattering. He specializes in the behavior of structural and functional materials under complex environments; phase transformation and residual stress in additive manufacturing processes; and the structure, performance, stability, and dynamics of energy storage and conversion materials. Dr. An was elected a Fellow of the Neutron Scattering Society of America in 2024 for sustained contributions to the development and application of neutron diffraction to the study of the structure and properties of engineering materials.

Abstract Title: Tough Alloys by Design: Insights from Neutron Scattering

Abstract: Alloys are the backbone of modern infrastructure and engineering, enabling construction, transportation, healthcare, energy technologies, and deep-space exploration. Designing tough alloys is challenging because strength and ductility are often in trade-off. Overcoming this requires exploring vast compositional spaces, precise control of microstructure morphology and crystallography, defect engineering, and optimization of processing parameters. Predictive alloy design based on theory and modeling is limited by the high chemical and microstructural complexity of real materials relative to available databases. Consequently, extensive experiments are needed to reveal structure–property relationships. Neutron scattering provides a unique, non-destructive, bulk-sensitive probe of both morphological and crystallographic structures, with advantages including sensitivity to light elements, isotopes, magnetic ordering, and deep penetration under complex environments. Recent neutron studies of conventional and high-entropy alloys have revealed critical insights into phase stability, deformation mechanisms, and extreme-condition properties, enabling informed alloy design, validation of predictive models, and accelerated discovery of next-generation structural materials.