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Materials
and Energy Applications
MSE faculty conducts a wide range of experimental
and theoretical research. Four areas of concentration
are:
This research is carried out both in small
groups and as part of large interdisciplinary research centers. Two of
these centers are situated in the MSE department:
Department faculty
and students are
also active participants
in thefollowing
centers:
Soft
Materials and Biomaterials
Soft materials are diverse, ranging from suspensions
of nano- to micron-size particles, to solutions
of semiflexible and flexible polymers, to mixtures
of macromolecules of varying shapes and rigidity.
Soft materials are also basis for many natural
systems and are ubiquitous in commercial applications.
Current research in this area range from synthesis
of novel nano-structured organic-inorganic materials
for drug, gene, or protein delivery to determination
and manipulation of the interactions among particles
in suspension to control and understand their
structure, dynamics and self-assembly, understanding
the phase behavior of water-soluble polymers
(synthetic and biological) under in-vivo conditions,
and investigation to improve the stability and
efficiency of energy storage devices, such as
fuel cells and batteries, via synthesis of new
materials for use as catalyst, electrodes, and
membranes.
MSE faculty involved in Soft Materials and
Biomaterials research are:
Electronic,
Magnetic and Optical Materials
Research in this area is aimed at developing
a fundamental understanding of materials and
processes used in a broad range of electronic,
magnetic, and optical devices. Topics of interest
include the relationships between process conditions
and device performance, basic optical and quantum
phenomena in materials, and thin film epitaxial
processing. Materials of interest are wide band
gap semiconductors, dielectrics, multifunctional
(and/or multiferroic) materials, carbon-based
semiconductors and nanostructures, metallic contacts,
conductors and electrodes; bulk and thin film
hard magnetic materials, and bulk and thin film
soft magnetic metallic nanocomposites. These
materials are applied in devices that include
microelectronic devices for high-frequency, high-power
and high-temperature applications, RF circuits,
optoelectronic devices including light-emitting
diodes and semiconductor lasers that emit in
the green blue and ultra-violet regions of the
spectrum, gas and biological sensors, and information
storage.
MSE faculty involved in Electronic Magnetic
and Optical Materials research are:
Microstructural Science
The goals of microstructural science research
at CMU are to understand the origins of the
quantifiable characteristics of polycrystals
that arise during processing, to develop strategies
for influencing these characteristics in predictable
ways, and to define microstructural metrics that
can be directly related to macroscopic properties
and performance. Phenomena of interest include
grain growth, recrystallization, phase transformations,
and the physical properties of polycrystals.
Research involves the study of materials
used in structural, electrical, and magnetic
applications. The program applies both experimental
(electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy,
nanoindentation, and scanning Auger microscopy)
and computational methods (Monte Carlo, finite
element, finite difference, molecular dynamics,
and ab-initio calculations). Much of this research
is conducted in the CMU MRSEC.
MSE Faculty involved in Microstructural Science
Research are:
Iron
and Steelmaking Research
Research in this area is conducted within the
Center for Iron and Steel Making Research (CISR),
whose mission is to perform fundamental research
in ironmaking, steelmaking, refining and casting.
The CISR conducts cooperative research that leverages
industrial and government support. Areas of interest
include experimental and computational research
on high temperature kinetics of metallurgical
processes, primary metal production with the
goal of reducing energy and emissions, fundamentals
of gas-metal and slag-metal reactions, refining
of metals for high quality products, and examining
competitive, economic, and environmental issues
related to metal production.
MSE Faculty involved in Iron and Steelmaking
Research are:
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