Nanostructured Materials; Fiber Technology, Materials Processing, Composites
Nanostructured materials are those materials that have some critical dimension on the order of 100 nanometers or less. In the case of semicrystalline and polycrystalline materials, this is often the crystallite size, but may also include particle size. Nanocrystalline ceramics can have interesting bulk properties since their microstructure (or nanostructure) now consists of a large interfacial component. Our work is aimed at understanding the formation of nanocrystalline domains in a variety of materials; including metal oxide ceramics such as mullite, metals such as aluminum, and polymers such as Nafion. Once formed, the manifestation of nanostructure in terms of bulk physical properties such as elastic modulus and thermal expansion is evaluated. In particular, the development of nanocomposites from a combination of various materials is investigated via High Energy Ball Milling and Hot Isostatic Pressing.
Right: Nafion membrane produced from solid state processing of polymer pellets.
| Brian S. Mitchell | Research Interests | Recent Publications | Teaching |