Structure, property and performance of high impurity-tolerant metals and alloys
This project studies how impurities in recycled metals affect their structure and performance, using advanced techniques to improve alloy design.
This grant is no longer accepting proposals
NRC Research Associateship Programs has archived this opportunity.
Funder: NRC Research Associateship Programs
Due Dates: February 1, 2025 | May 1, 2025 | August 1, 2025 | November 1, 2025
Funding Amounts: Stipend approximately $82,764 per year plus $3,000 travel allowance; typical appointment duration 2 years.
Summary: Supports postdoctoral research at NIST on the structure, properties, and performance of metals and alloys with high impurity tolerance, combining computational design and advanced materials characterization.
Key Information: Open to U.S. citizens with a Ph.D. earned within the last 5 years; requires contacting a research adviser prior to application; NIST participates in February and August review cycles only.
Description
This fellowship opportunity at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) focuses on investigating the structure, properties, and performance of metals and alloys that tolerate high levels of impurities, particularly in recycled structural alloys like steel and aluminum. The research addresses challenges arising from increased use of recycled scrap metals, which can introduce impurities that negatively impact ductility, formability, and corrosion resistance by promoting deleterious secondary phases.
The project integrates computational alloy design with state-of-the-art materials characterization techniques, including:
- Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)
- Laboratory and synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD)
- Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC)
- Dilatometry
- Synchrotron X-ray and neutron residual stress measurements at multiple length scales
- Synchrotron ultra-small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS)
The research aims to correlate microstructural features with material properties such as hardness, tensile strength, corrosion resistance, and environmental cracking, contributing to the development of sustainable, impurity-tolerant alloys.
