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Missouri University of Science and Technology

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Articles 1 - 30 of 637

Full-Text Articles in Ceramic Materials

Thermo-Mechanical Behaviour Of Metal-Coated Optical Fibers For Distributed High-Temperature Sensing: From Laboratory Characterization To Industrial Case Validation, Koustav Dey, Rony Kumer Saha, Bohong Zhang, Laura Bartlett, Jeffrey D. Smith, Ronald J. O'Malley, Jie Huang Oct 2026

Thermo-Mechanical Behaviour Of Metal-Coated Optical Fibers For Distributed High-Temperature Sensing: From Laboratory Characterization To Industrial Case Validation, Koustav Dey, Rony Kumer Saha, Bohong Zhang, Laura Bartlett, Jeffrey D. Smith, Ronald J. O'Malley, Jie Huang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Reliable distributed temperature sensing in high-temperature environments remains a significant challenge due to the thermal and mechanical limitations of conventional optical fibers. In particular, polymer-coated fibers degrade above ∼300 °C due to coating failure, mechanical fragility and hydrogen ingress. Metal-coated optical fibers offer a robust alternative for harsh environments such as Electric Arc Furnaces (EAFs), aerospace engines, nuclear systems, and oil and gas wells, owing to their superior mechanical strength and hermetic sealing. In this work, a first comprehensive experimental investigation of the thermo-mechanical behavior of metal-coated optical fibers for distributed high temperature sensing is presented over a wide temperature …

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Thermal And Electrical Properties Of (Cr,Mo,Ta,V,W)C High-Entropy Carbide Ceramics, Ali Sarikhani, Steven M. Smith, Suzana Filipovic, William G. Fahrenholtz, Gregory E. Hilmas Sep 2026

Thermal And Electrical Properties Of (Cr,Mo,Ta,V,W)C High-Entropy Carbide Ceramics, Ali Sarikhani, Steven M. Smith, Suzana Filipovic, William G. Fahrenholtz, Gregory E. Hilmas

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The synthesis and characterization along with the resulting properties of fully dense (Cr,Mo,Ta,V,W)C high entropy carbide ceramics were studied. The ceramics were synthesized from metal oxide and carbon powders by carbothermal reduction, followed by spark plasma sintering at various temperatures for densification. Increasing the densification temperature resulted in grain growth and an increase in the lattice parameter. Thermal diffusivity increased linearly with testing temperature, resulting in thermal conductivity values ranging from ∼7 W/m•K at room temperature to ∼12 W/m•K at 200 °C. Measured heat capacity values matched theoretical estimates calculated using the Neumann-Kopp rule. Room temperature electrical resistivity decreased from …

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Nb–Zr Interdiffusion In The (Hf,Ta,Ti,Nb)B2–(Hf,Ta,Ti,Zr)B2 High-Entropy Boride System, Ana C. Feltrin, Yue Zhou, Stefano Curtarolo, Gregory E. Hilmas, William G. Fahrenholtz Jul 2026

Nb–Zr Interdiffusion In The (Hf,Ta,Ti,Nb)B2–(Hf,Ta,Ti,Zr)B2 High-Entropy Boride System, Ana C. Feltrin, Yue Zhou, Stefano Curtarolo, Gregory E. Hilmas, William G. Fahrenholtz

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Niobium (Nb) presents a challenge for achieving homogeneous solid solutions in high-entropy boride and carbide ceramics. In this work, we synthesized (Hf,Ta,Ti,Zr)B2 (Zr-HEB) and (Hf,Ta,Ti,Nb)B2 (Nb-HEB) ceramics by boro/carbothermal reduction, followed by densification via spark plasma sintering (SPS). Diffusion couples were prepared to investigate the interdiffusion behavior of Nb and zirconium (Zr) in these complex systems at temperatures between 2000°C and 2200°C. Aside from Nb and Zr, the other elements exhibited no significant concentration gradient across the diffusion interface. Nb exhibited lower diffusion coefficients ((Formula presented.) Nb = 1.7 x 10−17–1.2 x 10−16 m2 …

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Thermal And Mechanical Properties Of Zirconium Carbide Manufactured Via Ceramic On-Demand Extrusion, Clare Sabata, Yue Zhou, Jeremy L. Watts, Gregory E. Hilmas Jul 2026

Thermal And Mechanical Properties Of Zirconium Carbide Manufactured Via Ceramic On-Demand Extrusion, Clare Sabata, Yue Zhou, Jeremy L. Watts, Gregory E. Hilmas

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Zirconium carbide (ZrC) was fabricated by material extrusion additive manufacturing (AM) followed by pressureless sintering at 2000°C for two hours, achieving a relative density of 90.3 %. SEM analysis revealed grains of 4.6 ± 1.8 μm; XRD confirmed single phase ZrC. A stoichiometry of ZrC0.92 was determined by XPS. Four-point flexure testing exhibited a strength of 331.3 ± 57.1 MPa and Young's modulus of 232.8 ± 13.1 GPa. Vickers hardness was 13.6 ± 1.0 GPa and 11.6 ± 0.5 GPa at 4.91 and 9.81 N, respectively. Indentation fracture resistance was 2.9 ± 0.2 MPa⋅m1/2; Griffith analysis confirmed …

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Finite-Temperature Grain-Boundary Segregation In High-Entropy Carbides, Marium M. Mou, Tarek Md Anamul Haque, Samuel E. Daigle, Josiah Roberts, William G. Fahrenholtz, Jon Paul Maria, Douglas E. Wolfe, Eva Zurek, Stefano Curtarolo, Donald W. Brenner Jul 2026

Finite-Temperature Grain-Boundary Segregation In High-Entropy Carbides, Marium M. Mou, Tarek Md Anamul Haque, Samuel E. Daigle, Josiah Roberts, William G. Fahrenholtz, Jon Paul Maria, Douglas E. Wolfe, Eva Zurek, Stefano Curtarolo, Donald W. Brenner

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

High-entropy carbides are promising candidates for extreme-temperature environments, but their grain-boundary chemistry remains difficult to resolve because segregation involves both chemical disorder and finite-temperature configurational sampling. Here, we quantify temperature-dependent grain-boundary segregation in high-entropy carbides using a universal message-passing atomic cluster expansion (MACE) machine learning interatomic potential combined with a hybrid Monte Carlo–molecular dynamics workflow. A 53.1 (Formula presented.) (Formula presented.) symmetric tilt grain boundary was sampled for six representative high-entropy carbide compositions containing group IV, V, and VI transition metals at 300 and 2000 K. Element-resolved metal-sublattice composition profiles reveal composition-dependent segregation modes. Several chemistries exhibit selective near-boundary enrichment …

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Coupled Multiphysics Transport-Reaction Modeling Framework For Combustion Synthesis Of Cement Phases: Insights Into Β-C2s Formation And Wavefront Dynamics, Sayee Srikarah Volaity, Shubham Agrawal, Aditya Kumar, Narayanan Neithalath Jun 2026

Coupled Multiphysics Transport-Reaction Modeling Framework For Combustion Synthesis Of Cement Phases: Insights Into Β-C2s Formation And Wavefront Dynamics, Sayee Srikarah Volaity, Shubham Agrawal, Aditya Kumar, Narayanan Neithalath

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Biofuel-based combustion synthesis (BCS) processes offer low-temperature, low-carbon routes to lime and clinker production. However, they involve tightly coupled interactions between heat transfer, gas flow, and sequential solid-state reactions within reactive pellets. Experiments typically provide surface temperature evolution and final phase assemblages but give limited insight into the conversion process and the interaction between composition and process conditions. A coupled transport-reaction framework is developed here to resolve this limitation─the synthesis of β-C2S (belite), a major cementing phase, serving as an example. Transient conservation equations for energy, momentum, and species are solved for a porous pellet exchanging heat and mass with …

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A Hybrid Mechano-Thermal Route To Synthesize Reactive Pozzolans From Clay Minerals: A Case Of Kaolinite, Oluwadamilare Charles Adesina, Bryan K. Aylas-Paredes, Brian R. Cherry, Luciano A. Gobbo, Aditya Kumar, Narayanan Neithalath Jun 2026

A Hybrid Mechano-Thermal Route To Synthesize Reactive Pozzolans From Clay Minerals: A Case Of Kaolinite, Oluwadamilare Charles Adesina, Bryan K. Aylas-Paredes, Brian R. Cherry, Luciano A. Gobbo, Aditya Kumar, Narayanan Neithalath

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Aluminosilicate resources from unconventional sources offer promising potential for developing low-carbon supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), yet their activation typically requires energy-intensive thermal processing. Kaolinite is a geographically abundant and highly attractive precursor clay mineral to reduce the clinker factor in concrete. By integrating mechano- and thermo- chemistry sequentially in a novel hybrid mechano-thermal activation (MTA) strategy for clay mineral activation, the dehydroxylation of pure kaolinite polymorphs KGa-1b and KGa-2 for enhanced pozzolanic reactivity is unlocked at temperatures that are lower than those needed for conventional thermal activation (TA). The mechano-chemical activation (MCA) step that induces significant structural defects and disorder …

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Evaluation Of Iron-Phosphate Glass–Ceramic Waste Form For Electrorefiner Salt Waste Simulant Dechlorinated With Phosphoric Acid, Harmony Werth, Paige Murray, Lucas Greiner, Jade Beland, Charmayne Lonergan, Brian Riley, Krista Carlson May 2026

Evaluation Of Iron-Phosphate Glass–Ceramic Waste Form For Electrorefiner Salt Waste Simulant Dechlorinated With Phosphoric Acid, Harmony Werth, Paige Murray, Lucas Greiner, Jade Beland, Charmayne Lonergan, Brian Riley, Krista Carlson

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The importance of glass and glass–ceramic nuclear waste forms has been reaffirmed in recent years by the growing interest in nuclear power as a reliable energy source. Determination of processing methods for the disposal of halide-containing wastes will be essential for the advancement of nuclear technologies such as non-aqueous fuel reprocessing. Phosphate-based dechlorination and subsequent vitrification of radioactive salt waste into an iron-phosphate waste form have been identified as a potential processing scheme for electrochemical processing waste. The impact of H3PO4-based dechlorination of complex salt mixtures on the vitrification process and structure of the final iron-phosphate …

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Effect Of Composition On Grain-Boundary Chemistry And Fracture Behavior In High-Entropy Carbides, Caleb Schenck, Marium Mostafiz Mou, Elizabeth Pritchett, Fu Yun Tsai, Josephine Hartmann, Michael Lastovich, Sam Daigle, Kayla Yano, Matthew J. Olszta, Sanjit Bhowick, Elizabeth Kautz, Gregory E. Hilmas, William G. Fahrenholtz, Donald W. Brenner May 2026

Effect Of Composition On Grain-Boundary Chemistry And Fracture Behavior In High-Entropy Carbides, Caleb Schenck, Marium Mostafiz Mou, Elizabeth Pritchett, Fu Yun Tsai, Josephine Hartmann, Michael Lastovich, Sam Daigle, Kayla Yano, Matthew J. Olszta, Sanjit Bhowick, Elizabeth Kautz, Gregory E. Hilmas, William G. Fahrenholtz, Donald W. Brenner

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

High-entropy carbides (HECs) are often treated as a single material class defined by configurational entropy; however, their properties are governed by composition-specific defects and grain-boundary chemistry. This study demonstrates that substituting a single element can qualitatively change grain-boundary structure and fracture behavior in HEC ceramics. Two HECs, (Cr,Hf,Ta,Ti,Zr)C (HEC-Cr) and (Hf,Ta,Ti,W,Zr)C (HEC-W), were examined via electron microscopy, atom probe tomography, and molecular dynamics simulations. Simulations predict preferential segregation of Cr, W, and Zr to grain boundaries. Experiments confirmed Cr enrichment at grain boundaries and the formation of W-rich nanograins along boundary networks. Mechanical testing revealed that these compositional differences translated …

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Evaluating The Integration Of Bio-Based Waste Into Cement Production: A Pathway To Sustainable Building, Anja Terzić, Suzana Filipović, Adriana Peleš Tadić, Jelena Živojinović, Ivana N. Jelić, Nina Obradović, William G. Fahrenholtz May 2026

Evaluating The Integration Of Bio-Based Waste Into Cement Production: A Pathway To Sustainable Building, Anja Terzić, Suzana Filipović, Adriana Peleš Tadić, Jelena Živojinović, Ivana N. Jelić, Nina Obradović, William G. Fahrenholtz

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Rapid urbanization has increased the demand for building materials, depleting natural resources used in cement production and prompting the use of alternative and waste materials. This research verifies that eggshell powder waste can fully replace limestone in clinker synthesis. Five clinkers were produced using eggshell powder, aluminum sources (bentonite, zeolite, fly ash, and kaolinitic–illitic clay), Fe-slag, and quartz sand, with mechanical preprocessing (10–30 min) before sintering at 1300 °C. Experimental tests assessed the effects of mix design and mechanical activation on clinkerization, phase formation, temperature, and mechanical properties. XRD, FTIR, and SEM/EDS confirmed consistent phase compositions and primary cement minerals. …

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In-Operando Imaging For Mechanistic Insights And Process Optimization In The Biofuel-Driven Combustion Synthesis Of Cement And Precursor Phases, Shubham Agrawal, Jeffrey J. Long, Aditya Kumar, Narayanan Neithalath May 2026

In-Operando Imaging For Mechanistic Insights And Process Optimization In The Biofuel-Driven Combustion Synthesis Of Cement And Precursor Phases, Shubham Agrawal, Jeffrey J. Long, Aditya Kumar, Narayanan Neithalath

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Biofuel-based combustion synthesis (BCS) is a promising low-carbon pathway for decarbonizing cement production, providing an alternative to the fossil-fuel-driven clinkering process typically conducted at ∼1450 °C. Understanding microscale combustion mechanisms is essential to efficiently transfer biofuel-generated heat to cement precursors for targeted phase formation. Unlike previous studies focusing on macro-scale parameters such as fuel content/type, porosity, and holding temperature, this work provides mechanistic insights into microscale combustion behavior, linking microstructural phenomena with macro-scale processing conditions to guide parameter optimization. In-operando microscale imaging was employed to examine combustion wave propagation, spatio-temporal temperature evolution, and microstructural transformations within reactive pellets. Two combustion …

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Structural Analysis On Iron Phosphate Glasses After Dechlorination Of Mixed Chloride Waste Forms, Lucas Greiner Apr 2026

Structural Analysis On Iron Phosphate Glasses After Dechlorination Of Mixed Chloride Waste Forms, Lucas Greiner

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

Molten salt reactors (MSRs) require durable waste forms for immobilizing halide-rich salts. This study examines iron phosphate glasses derived from a simple salt mixture (SSM), focusing on the effect of Fe₂O₃ additions (2.5–10 wt%) on structure and phase stability. Intermediates were processed at 300–600 °C and vitrified at 1050 °C. Raman spectroscopy and HPLC show that increasing iron content depolymerizes the phosphate network, shifting from Q² toward Q¹ species and reducing chain length. XRD confirms amorphous behavior for ≤7.5 wt% Fe₂O₃, while 10 wt% shows crystallization, with KFeP₂O₇ observed in samples processed at 400 °C. Despite reduced connectivity, iron enhances …

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Voltage Breakdown Strength And Energy Density Of Ceramic Srtio₃ At Cryogenic Temperatures From 295 K To 77 K, Hung Trinh, Alan Devoe, Fatih Dogan Mar 2026

Voltage Breakdown Strength And Energy Density Of Ceramic Srtio₃ At Cryogenic Temperatures From 295 K To 77 K, Hung Trinh, Alan Devoe, Fatih Dogan

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The low-temperature dependence of the DC dielectric breakdown strength (EBD) and the energy storage density (W) of capacitors, fabricated from high purity polycrystalline strontium titanate, were investigated in the temperature range from 295 K to 77 K. Test samples were constructed with a process similar to that used for multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs). The permittivity, loss tangent, leakage current, and breakdown strength were measured as a function of temperature and voltage. Weibull statistical analysis was used to quantify breakdown distributions. Despite electric-field suppression of permittivity, breakdown strength increased significantly with decreasing temperatures, leading to enhanced energy density. The breakdown field …

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A Borophosphate Glass Doped With Cobalt Oxide Improves Skeletal Muscle Structure And Function In Myopathic Mice, Jacob A. Kendra, Alexandra G. Naman, Rebekah L. Blatt, Carla D. Zingariello, Richard K. Brow, Steven S. Segal, Aaron B. Morton Mar 2026

A Borophosphate Glass Doped With Cobalt Oxide Improves Skeletal Muscle Structure And Function In Myopathic Mice, Jacob A. Kendra, Alexandra G. Naman, Rebekah L. Blatt, Carla D. Zingariello, Richard K. Brow, Steven S. Segal, Aaron B. Morton

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Skeletal muscle myopathy remains a significant cause of disability with limited treatment strategies. Advancements in tissue engineering have led to the development of borophosphate bioactive glasses (BPBGs) capable of enhancing skeletal muscle structure and function. Using a mouse model of severe myopathy (D2.mdx), we investigated muscle force, regeneration, angiogenesis and inflammation at 14, 70 and 140 days post-treatment (dpt). Tibialis anterior (TA) muscles of D2.mdx mice that received a single injection of cobalt oxide-doped BPBG (CoO-TRIM) particles exhibit greater active force, myofiber size, and regeneration through 70 dpt compared to control D2.mdx mice injected with Saline. Vascular endothelial growth factor …

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Microstructural Evolution Of Zirconium Diboride Irradiated With 5–10 Mev Au Ions At Room Temperature And 570 °C, Narrie Loftus, José Olivares, Miguel Crespillo, Esther Enríquez Pérez, Jeremy Watts, Eric W. Bohannan, Gregory Hilmas, William Fahrenholtz, Joseph Graham Mar 2026

Microstructural Evolution Of Zirconium Diboride Irradiated With 5–10 Mev Au Ions At Room Temperature And 570 °C, Narrie Loftus, José Olivares, Miguel Crespillo, Esther Enríquez Pérez, Jeremy Watts, Eric W. Bohannan, Gregory Hilmas, William Fahrenholtz, Joseph Graham

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Zirconium diboride was irradiated with 5 MeV Au2 + , 7 MeV Au4+ and 10 MeV Au3+ ions at room temperature and 570 °C to doses from 1 to 8 displacements per atom (dpa). Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) analysis revealed no secondary phase formation. Rietveld analysis of the GIXRD data indicated an accumulation of microstrain at low dpa and room temperature. Dislocations observed in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) cross-sections are likely the main contributor to the microstrain. High dpa and high-temperature samples exhibit lower lattice distortion than lower dpa samples, suggesting the presence of enhanced defect …

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Thermally Stable Sic Particulate-Reinforced Sic Composites Up To 2000 ℃ Fabricated By Precursor Impregnation And Pyrolysis Method, Jian Gu, Vu Viet Hung, Lun Feng, William G. Fahrenholtz, Daejong Kim, Seyoung Kim, Sea Hoon Lee Mar 2026

Thermally Stable Sic Particulate-Reinforced Sic Composites Up To 2000 ℃ Fabricated By Precursor Impregnation And Pyrolysis Method, Jian Gu, Vu Viet Hung, Lun Feng, William G. Fahrenholtz, Daejong Kim, Seyoung Kim, Sea Hoon Lee

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The thermo-mechanical properties of SiC particulate-reinforced SiC composites (SiC-PRCs), fabricated using precursor impregnation & pyrolysis (PIP) process, were analyzed up to 2000 ℃. The relative density of the SiC-PRCs after 4 PIP cycles was 88.6 %. The number of PIP cycles required decreased to nearly half compared with the conventional PIP method by using ultra-high concentration slurries up to 70 vol%. In addition, room-temperature bending strength (215 MPa) and Young's modulus (269 GPa) improved as the solid loading of the slurry increased. The bending strength increased to 232 MPa at 2000 ℃ in Ar. Despite the thermal deterioration of the …

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A Software Package For Generating Robust And Accurate Potentials Using The Moment Tensor Potential Framework, Josiah Roberts, Biswas Rijal, Simon Divilov, Jon Paul Maria, William G. Fahrenholtz, Douglas E. Wolfe, Donald W. Brenner, Stefano Curtarolo, Eva Zurek Mar 2026

A Software Package For Generating Robust And Accurate Potentials Using The Moment Tensor Potential Framework, Josiah Roberts, Biswas Rijal, Simon Divilov, Jon Paul Maria, William G. Fahrenholtz, Douglas E. Wolfe, Donald W. Brenner, Stefano Curtarolo, Eva Zurek

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We present the Plan for Robust and Accurate Potentials (PRAPs), a software package for training and using moment tensor potentials (MTPs) in concert with the Machine Learned Interatomic Potentials (MLIP) software package. PRAPs provides an automated workflow to train MTPs using active learning procedures, and a variety of utilities to ease and improve workflows when utilizing the MLIP software. PRAPs was originally developed in the context of crystal structure prediction, in which one calculates convex hulls and predicts low energy metastable and thermodynamically stable structures, but the potentials PRAPs develops are not limited to such applications. PRAPs produces two potentials, …

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Superhard Refractory High-Entropy Diborides, M. D. Hossain, N. S. Mcilwaine, N. O. Marquez-Rios, A. C. Feltrin, V. Chawla, R. A. Mayanovic, W. G. Fahrenholtz, D. Penumadu, E. Zurek, D. W. Brenner, D. E. Wolfe, S. Divilov, H. Eckert, S. Curtarolo Mar 2026

Superhard Refractory High-Entropy Diborides, M. D. Hossain, N. S. Mcilwaine, N. O. Marquez-Rios, A. C. Feltrin, V. Chawla, R. A. Mayanovic, W. G. Fahrenholtz, D. Penumadu, E. Zurek, D. W. Brenner, D. E. Wolfe, S. Divilov, H. Eckert, S. Curtarolo

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Using first-principles calculations and companion experimental validations, we demonstrate that the valence electron concentration (VEC) can be used to self-consistently parameterize the bonding characteristics of high-entropy diborides (HEBs) and in turn predict their mechanical properties. When VEC is 10.0 per formula unit (f.u.), HEBs enter the superhard category where Hv>40GPa because bonding states are optimally filled to resist shear deformation. Conversely, above or below a VEC of 10.0, the hardness decreases due to the filling of antibonding or the emptying of bonding states of the HEBs, respectively. This result is supported by analyses of the electronic structure, bonding, antibonding, …

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Hardness Of (Hf,Ti,W,Zr)B2/(Hf,Ti,W,Zr)C-Based Ceramics With Varying Wb Content, Suzana Filipović, William G. Fahrenholtz, Gregory E. Hilmas, Nina Obradović, Stefano Curtarolo Feb 2026

Hardness Of (Hf,Ti,W,Zr)B2/(Hf,Ti,W,Zr)C-Based Ceramics With Varying Wb Content, Suzana Filipović, William G. Fahrenholtz, Gregory E. Hilmas, Nina Obradović, Stefano Curtarolo

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Compositionally complex (Hf,Ti,Zr,W)B2/(Hf,Ti,Zr,W)C-based ceramics were produced with different boride and carbide phase contents by varying the C/B4C molar ratio used in boro/carbothermal reduction. A monoboride phase based on WB was detected in all compositions. As the C/B4C ratio was varied, the WB content decreased from 23.7 vol% for a C/B4C ratio of 6.0–15.3 vol% for a C/B4C ratio of 10.3. Further increases in the C/B4C ratio increased the WB content. The monoboride phase contained mainly W and Ti in a solid solution with the nominal composition of (W …

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Zirconium And Hafnium Interdiffusion Study In Zrb2–Hfb2 System, Yue Zhou, Ana C. Feltrin, William G. Fahrenholtz, Gregory E. Hilmas Feb 2026

Zirconium And Hafnium Interdiffusion Study In Zrb2–Hfb2 System, Yue Zhou, Ana C. Feltrin, William G. Fahrenholtz, Gregory E. Hilmas

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Interdiffusion of Zr and Hf in the diboride system was investigated. High-purity zirconium diboride (ZrB2) and hafnium diboride (HfB2) were prepared by a combination of boro-/carbothermal reduction synthesis and densification by spark plasma sintering. The bulk ceramics had relative densities of 99.3% for ZrB2 and 99.7% for HfB2, and both ceramics were phase-pure by x-ray diffraction analysis. Diffusion couples of ZrB2 and HfB2 were annealed at temperatures ranging from 2000°C to 2200°C for times from 4 to 12 h. Zr and Hf elemental concentration profiles were measured using energy dispersive spectroscopy …

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Integrated Computational And Experimental Investigation Of Groups V And Vi Metals In (M,Hf,Ti,Zr)B2-(M,Hf,Ti,Zr)C Ceramics, Ana C. Feltrin, Simon Divilov, Gregory E. Hilmas, Stefano Curtarolo, William G. Fahrenholtz Feb 2026

Integrated Computational And Experimental Investigation Of Groups V And Vi Metals In (M,Hf,Ti,Zr)B2-(M,Hf,Ti,Zr)C Ceramics, Ana C. Feltrin, Simon Divilov, Gregory E. Hilmas, Stefano Curtarolo, William G. Fahrenholtz

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Dual-phase compositionally complex ultra-high temperature ceramics were formulated by incorporating different Groups V and VI metals such as V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, or W into a base composition containing the Group IV elements, Hf, Ti, and Zr. Metal distribution was predicted using first-principles-based thermodynamics simulations and compared with experimental results. Moreover, phase stability, microstructure, and mechanical properties were evaluated for all of the ceramics. Compositions containing Cr, V, Nb, or Ta formed dual-phase ceramics containing only one boride and one carbide phase, while compositions containing Mo or W developed an additional third phase. The experimental metal distribution trends generally …

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Co-Calcination Of Limestone And Clay Enhances The Performance Of Limestone Calcined Clay Cement (Lc3), Oluwadamilare Charles Adesina, Sahil Surehali, Avinaya Tripathi, Kayla Lauren Lee, Bryan K. Aylas-Paredes, Aditya Kumar, Narayanan Neithalath Feb 2026

Co-Calcination Of Limestone And Clay Enhances The Performance Of Limestone Calcined Clay Cement (Lc3), Oluwadamilare Charles Adesina, Sahil Surehali, Avinaya Tripathi, Kayla Lauren Lee, Bryan K. Aylas-Paredes, Aditya Kumar, Narayanan Neithalath

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Limestone-calcined clay cements (LC3) reduce the environmental impact of cement production and accelerate the industry transition toward carbon neutrality. While conventional LC3 with 50% clinker replacement (LC3-50) demonstrate long-term performance comparable to ordinary Portland cement (OPC) in concrete, early-age performance is generally compromised. This study explores for the first time, joint thermal treatment—that is, co-calcination—of limestone (LS) and bulk kaolinitic clay in mass ratios of 1:1 to 1:4 under a calcination regime specifically designed to ensure activation of the clay mineral. The co-calcination converts a small fraction of LS to metastable CaO, thus providing an …

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Post-Calcium Treatment Evolution Of Alumina (Al2o3) Inclusions Morphology, Naziru I. Fuseini, Ronald J. O'Malley, Todd P. Sander, Jeffrey D. Smith, Haiming Wen, Laura N. Bartlett Feb 2026

Post-Calcium Treatment Evolution Of Alumina (Al2o3) Inclusions Morphology, Naziru I. Fuseini, Ronald J. O'Malley, Todd P. Sander, Jeffrey D. Smith, Haiming Wen, Laura N. Bartlett

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The post-calcium morphological evolution of Al2O3 inclusions formed under high-oxygen supersaturation (~1000 ppm) was investigated through time-resolved sampling and quenching of aluminum-killed, calcium-treated steel. SEM-EDS analysis revealed the formation of angular two-phase CaO·Al2O3–CaS inclusions within 1 minute, gradually transforming into spherical liquid 12CaO·7Al2O3 and CaO·Al2O3 with a thin CaS layer around it. The 3D morphology of the CaS phase of the complex CaO·Al2O3–CaS inclusions observed at 1 minute appeared as a cone-cap attached to the partially modified CaO·Al2O3. This …

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Thermodynamic Analysis Of Metal Segregation In Two Metal Boride-Carbide Ceramics Containing V With Cr, Hf, Ti, Or Zr, Ana C. Feltrin, Simon Divilov, Gregory E. Hilmas, Stefano Curtarolo, William G. Fahrenholtz Feb 2026

Thermodynamic Analysis Of Metal Segregation In Two Metal Boride-Carbide Ceramics Containing V With Cr, Hf, Ti, Or Zr, Ana C. Feltrin, Simon Divilov, Gregory E. Hilmas, Stefano Curtarolo, William G. Fahrenholtz

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Dual-phase carbide-boride ceramics in different vanadium-Me (Me = Cr, Hf, Ti, and Zr) binary systems were synthesized by boro/carbothermal reduction under stoichiometric and carbon-deficient conditions and densified by spark plasma sintering. Thermodynamic analysis was used to evaluate the influence of composition on the phase stability and metal segregation between phases, along with the resulting effects on microstructure and hardness. Pairing vanadium with Group IV elements (Hf, Ti, and Zr) consistently formed one boride and one carbide phase, while the Cr-V system formed a monoboride phase and a carbon-deficient carbide. Metal segregation trends depended on composition. Vanadium preferentially segregated to the …

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Waveguide-Assisted Single-Mode Fiber Bragg Gratings In A Highly Multimode Coreless Fiber Via Femtosecond Laser Inscription For Extreme Temperature Quasi-Distributed Thermal Sensing, Farhan Mumtaz, Koustav Dey, Bohong Zhang, Jeffrey D. Smith, Ronald J. O'Malley, Jie Huang Jan 2026

Waveguide-Assisted Single-Mode Fiber Bragg Gratings In A Highly Multimode Coreless Fiber Via Femtosecond Laser Inscription For Extreme Temperature Quasi-Distributed Thermal Sensing, Farhan Mumtaz, Koustav Dey, Bohong Zhang, Jeffrey D. Smith, Ronald J. O'Malley, Jie Huang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This research reports a potential quasi-distributed thermal mapping optical sensing system for extreme temperatures, leveraging femtosecond (fs) laser inscribed single-mode fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) and a waveguide within coreless, highly multimode optical fiber, resulting in a single-mode structure. Unlike doped single-mode fibers, coreless fibers composed of silica rods prevent issues associated with dopant migration and ensure data accuracy. The strategic placement of point-by-point FBGs in a cascaded formation on the fs-laser inscribed waveguide facilitates localized multipoint sensing. The long-term stability of the proposed waveguide-assisted FBG system was assessed over 24 hours at elevated temperatures (1000°C), showing no hysteresis during heating …

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Overcoming Resolution Vs. Throughput Trade-Offs In Ceramic Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing Via Viscoelastic Filament Stretching, Abid H. Rafi, David W. Lipke, Jeremy L. Watts, Gregory E. Hilmas, Ming C. Leu Jan 2026

Overcoming Resolution Vs. Throughput Trade-Offs In Ceramic Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing Via Viscoelastic Filament Stretching, Abid H. Rafi, David W. Lipke, Jeremy L. Watts, Gregory E. Hilmas, Ming C. Leu

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Fabricating large, monolithic ceramic parts using material-extrusion additive manufacturing remains challenging due to difficulty maintaining uniform moisture content during printing, which can lead to drying-induced defects such as warping and cracking, especially as part size and print time increase. Fabricated parts have trade-offs among print resolution, high throughput, and structural fidelity. Our study has shown that increasing the ratio of nozzle traverse speed vs. material extrusion speed increases filament stretching in viscoelastic ceramic paste, helping to overcome the trade-offs between resolution and throughput. Using aqueous ZrB2–SiC (70/30 vol.%) as a representative ultra-high temperature ceramic paste, rheological characterisation revealed viscoelastic yield-stress …

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Distributed Temperature Sensing In The Spray-Cooled Shell Of A 150-Ton Dc Electric Arc Furnace Using Brillouin Optical Fiber Technology, Farhan Mumtaz, Yeshwanth Reddy Mekala, Koustav Dey, Rony Kumer Saha, Ogbole Collins Inalegwu, Manoj Kumar Pullagura, Bohong Zhang, Muhammad Roman, Nicholas Dionise, Zane Voss, Jeffrey D. Smith, Ronald J. O'Malley, Rex E. Gerald, Jie Huang Jan 2026

Distributed Temperature Sensing In The Spray-Cooled Shell Of A 150-Ton Dc Electric Arc Furnace Using Brillouin Optical Fiber Technology, Farhan Mumtaz, Yeshwanth Reddy Mekala, Koustav Dey, Rony Kumer Saha, Ogbole Collins Inalegwu, Manoj Kumar Pullagura, Bohong Zhang, Muhammad Roman, Nicholas Dionise, Zane Voss, Jeffrey D. Smith, Ronald J. O'Malley, Rex E. Gerald, Jie Huang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents the deployment and validation of a Brillouin - distributed temperature sensing (DTS) system for real-time thermal monitoring of the spray-cooled upper shell of a 150-ton direct current Electric Arc Furnace (DC EAF) at Big River Steel Plant, Osceola, AR, USA. A four-channel Brillouin DTS system from OZ Optics was employed, with one active channel instrumented using an in-house-fabricated Brillouin scattering-depressed single-mode optical fiber (SMF28e+). The 60 m optical fiber sensor was fabricated, with 20 m allocated for thermal measurement and 40 m used as lead-in fiber to isolate the interrogator from the furnace environment. The fiber was …

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Elevated Temperature Flexure Behavior Of Continuous Carbon Fiber Reinforced Zrb2–Zrsi2 Ultrahigh Temperature Ceramic Matrix Composites, Jacob Stacy, Aaron Ginsparg, Jason Lonergan, Jeremy Watts, Gregory Hilmas Jan 2026

Elevated Temperature Flexure Behavior Of Continuous Carbon Fiber Reinforced Zrb2–Zrsi2 Ultrahigh Temperature Ceramic Matrix Composites, Jacob Stacy, Aaron Ginsparg, Jason Lonergan, Jeremy Watts, Gregory Hilmas

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Ultrahigh temperature ceramic matrix composites (UHTCMCs) were fabricated from unidirectional prepreg tapes consisting of a matrix of ZrB2 with 5, 10, and 15 vol.% ZrSi2 additions and continuous polyacrylonitrile carbon fibers and were densified at 1600°C in a hot press. The relative matrix densities ranged from 88% to 93% with interlayer spacings of ∼72 µm and fiber volume fractions between 30% and 36%. Phenolic resin additions were utilized to react with ZrSi2 acting as a transient sintering aid to form ZrC and SiC phases. Elastic moduli of the UHTCMCs decreased with increasing temperature during 4-pt flexure testing. …

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Quantitative Grain Structure And Texture Analysis Of Hot-Pressed Zrb2 Via 3d Ebsd, Randi Swanson, Michael Chapman, Yue Zhou, Ashley Hilmas, Lisa Rueschhoff, Michael Uchic, William Fahrenholtz, Scott J. Mccormack Jan 2026

Quantitative Grain Structure And Texture Analysis Of Hot-Pressed Zrb2 Via 3d Ebsd, Randi Swanson, Michael Chapman, Yue Zhou, Ashley Hilmas, Lisa Rueschhoff, Michael Uchic, William Fahrenholtz, Scott J. Mccormack

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Understanding and controlling the grain structure of ZrB2 is critical for optimizing its mechanical and thermal performance in high-temperature applications. Fully dense ZrB2, densified by hot pressing at 2150˚C and 32 MPa, was analyzed in three dimensions using electron backscattered diffraction, electron and optical microscopy, and mechanical polishing serial sectioning. Grain size followed a gamma distribution, with extreme deviations observed only in the largest 0.1% of grains. Large grains exhibited plate-like morphologies, with the shortest-to-longest axis ratio converging to ∼0.4 as grain volume increased. This work revealed a crystallographically controlled growth mechanism orthogonal to [0001] that is …

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Simulated Lunar Gravity Testing Of A Magnetic And Electrostatic System For Beneficiating Lunar Regolith, Blake A. Coffman, Gabriel Porter, Lindsay Manteufel, Mitchell Cottrell, Jeffrey D. Smith, David J. Bayless, William Shonberg, Frank D. Han, Fateme Rezaei, Kirby Runyon Jan 2026

Simulated Lunar Gravity Testing Of A Magnetic And Electrostatic System For Beneficiating Lunar Regolith, Blake A. Coffman, Gabriel Porter, Lindsay Manteufel, Mitchell Cottrell, Jeffrey D. Smith, David J. Bayless, William Shonberg, Frank D. Han, Fateme Rezaei, Kirby Runyon

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We present the design and testing of a lunar regolith beneficiation device that utilizes magnetic and electrostatic separation methods to concentrate desired minerals by removing unwanted material, such as the mineral anorthite, from bulk lunar regolith. The beneficiated materials would have value for downstream in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) processes such as metal extraction, oxygen extraction, and metal oxide additive manufacturing processes. The apparatus uses a dual-strength magnet system with N52 and N42 neodymium magnets to separate particles by magnetic susceptibility. The electrostatic separation system, which acts like a sieve, sorts the regolith simulant by particle size using a single-phase 50% …

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