Topic: Mechanical characterization and additive manufacturing across length scales
Speaker: Prof. Yu Zou, Massachusettes Institute of Technology
Time: 15:00, June 28, 2017
Venue: Room 205, Building 14

Abstract: Throughout history, exploration of different length scales – both large and small – have fundamentally reshaped human understanding of the physical world and catalyzed industrial growth. Now, the fast development of nanotechnology and advanced manufacturing challenges us to deeply understand material properties at small sizes and develop new manufacturing methodologies. Towards this vision, in the first part of my seminar I will explore mechanical properties of materials at the micrometer and nanometer scales. I will share insights on mechanical characterization of emerging nanostructured high-entropy alloys, in which I achieve mechanically strong (yield strength of ~10 GPa) and thermally stable (after annealing at 1100 °C for 3 days) materials. Then, I will demonstrate superior room-temperature ductility and high strength-to-density ratios (~1 MJ/kg) of typically brittle quasicrystals at small sizes.
In the second part, I will also talk about my research on “building the big from the small” based on selective laser melting – a metal additive manufacturing process. I will demonstrate a strategy for the selection of the most optimized parameters for “3D printing”. In closing, I will present my future work: 1) development of gradient porous metals for biomedical implantation; 2) discovery of low-density, high-strength, and thermally stable alloys for aerospace applications.