SF.25.24.B10204: Growth and Characterization of Ferroic and Hybrid Materials
Ferroic and multiferroic materials host many unique properties and coupled phenomena that make them ideal candidates for applications in alternative computing, sensing, and radio frequency devices. Historically, much of the community has focused on inorganic crystalline thin films which provide a hotbed for tunable interactions but often provide challenges to heterogeneous integration. Recently however, consider effort has been focused on new hybrid or amorphous platforms which enable rapid synthesis, facile integration, and a vast playground of chemically controlled interactions. We are interested in studying phonon and spin states in these materials, particularly those which can be controlled or measured optically. By utilizing ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy, Brillouin light scattering microscopy, and MOKE microscopy, we hope to examine magnon and phonon behavior to better understand novel properties including acousto-magnetic coupling, low damping amorphous or hybrid magnetic platforms, and chiral induced spin selectivity (CISS). Of particular interest is the ability to create heterostructures and test devices of these materials and traditional ferroic platforms (eg. YIG, LiNbO3) to explore interfacial physics and coupled interactions. We are also interested in pursuing novel methods of fabricating heterostructures of traditional materials, including approaches to exfoliate and stack high quality oxide films.
SF.25.24.B10203: Computer Simulations for Design of Improved Aerospace Materials
Research relates to current and prospective interests in the design of improved biomaterials for aerospace applications. Methodologies include electronic structure theory, and molecular dynamics (including coarse-grained MD) for the simulation of bio-inspired materials. Properties of interest include computation of structure and function of proteins (e.g. binding free energy of protein-substrate complexes) as a function of pH, ionic strength and protein/nucleotide sequence. More recently, emphasis has shifted to incorporate AI/ML techniques for efficiently exploring solutions using DoD-HPC platforms. Projects of interest are described below:
(1) Simulation of ice-nucleating proteins: Global warming has necessitated the need to stabilize DoD infrastructure in cold region environments, prompting investments to investigate the mechanisms behind ice nucleation. Network analysis and machine learning tools are being established for protein curation and design for efficiently nucleating ice at warmer temperatures.
(2) De novo protein structure predictions: Atomistic simulations are being used to explore functional applications of biological macromolecules. Implementation of cutting-edge codes and libraries (such as AlphaFold) on DoD-HPC supercomputers are enabling rapid and accurate determination of protein structure and function starting from the protein sequence. Such techniques are being incorporated in automated workflows in singularity containers. They offer opportunities for developing protocols to rapidly respond to challenges in chemistry and biology which impact US DOD and in particular aerospace interests such as biosequestration of valuable minerals and biodegradation of environmental pollutants.
Keywords: Quantum mechanics (DFT); Classical molecular dynamics (all-atom and coarse-grained); Hybrid QM/MM techniques; Biosequestration; Biodegradation, ice-nucleating proteins, AI/ML, mutagenesis, Ligand MPNN
US citizenship required.
SF.25.24.B10177: Responsive polymeric systems under extreme environments
The development of elastomers for ultra low temperature environments is critical for mission-ready materials from gaskets and o-rings on space vehicles to soft robotics deployed in the arctic and space. Currently, the state of the art low temperature elastomers are processed by either casting or pressure molding. These two types of processes limit the complexity that can be achieved with other processing methods like additive manufacturing. This topic seeks to investigate the role of polymer structure and functionality, such as stimulated drive actuation and self-healing, to operate in extreme environments as they are affected by advanced processes. Specific project areas include but are not limited to additive manufacturing of complex actuating structures, responsive and/or self-healing elastomer synthesis and characterization, and incorporating machine learning methods into material development and characterization.
SF.25.24.B10175: Mechanical Design and Manufacturing using Machine Learning
Mechanical design, manufacturing, and maintenance workflows must accelerate to keep pace with increasing DAF demands. Key areas include processes for designing components that are amenable to cost-effective manufacturing, and improving manufacturing processes (especially additive). Challenged by complexity that spans disciplines such as mechanics and thermodynamics, relevant solutions require digital approaches including physical modeling, machine learning, and optimization. This topic seeks proposals that develop or refine such approaches to accelerate design and manufacturing workflows. Research could include the study of relationships between manufacturing process limitations and optimal design in contexts such as topology optimization, and methods to reduce challenges in manufacturing such as residual stress and geometric error. It is expected that the use of physical simulation will be combined with modern machine learning techniques to ensure reasonable computational burden, and that fundamental study of workflow functionality and performance will accompany demonstrations of practically useful results.
SF.25.24.B10173: Defect Analysis of Ultra-Wide Bandgap (UWBG) Materials for Electronic Applications
UWBG semiconductors have been of interest as their large band gaps result in large breakdown voltages which are useful for high power handling devices. However, how and what defects form during growth or in extreme environments such as high temperature (T > 300°C) or high radiation (e.g. heavy ion radiation > 10 MeV-cm2/mg) is not well understood. It is vital to understand defect states as they can impact the electrical performance of devices made from these films during operation. This information can be used to optimize growth parameters of thin film UWBG materials and inform the design of device stacks. Therefore, in this topic, we investigate defects in UWBG materials through various characterization techniques that all us to learn more about these defects, their role in the band structure and physically. Candidates should grow and/or characterize ultra-wide band gap materials to investigate the nature of different defects in an effort to improve the material and device structures to enable future power electronic technologies in this material class.
SF.25.24.B10172: Machine-learning Driven Inverse Design of Optical Metasurfaces
The next generation of optical materials will achieve novel performance by utilizing wavelength-scale geometric features to manipulate light in ways beyond the capability of traditional bulk optical materials. However, advanced optimization strategies coupled with computational electromagnetic simulation must be employed to accelerate the design process due to the near-infinite design space for such optical metamaterials. Machine learning approaches have demonstrated the potential to overcome the limitations of ansatz and/or iterative approaches by inverting the design process, delivering optical metamaterial designs with desired properties. This opportunity will allow for the investigation and creation of machine learning models capable of designing optical metasurfaces to achieve the desired performance.
SF.25.24.B10171: Metals Probabilistic Performance Prediction Research
The Metals Probabilistic Performance Prediction Research Team establishes novel experimental methods and computational frameworks to enable predictive performance models for metals and metallic alloys. Current thrusts include: innovative experimental approaches and corresponding models for high-throughput materials performance evaluation and screening; development of unique, high fidelity experimental and modeling ecosystems to accelerate understanding of material response; and development and implementation of microstructure-based constitutive models within finite element frameworks. We encourage proposals that support these research team thrusts or other innovative metals performance evaluation and prediction concepts. US Citizenship required.
SF.25.24.B10168: Advancing Metals Performance Through Synchrotron Beamline Data
Research techniques available at multi-$B synchrotron facilities offer cutting edge technology for characterizing metals performance. This includes non-destructive, spatially resolved evaluation of residual stress as well as in situ experiments that capture the evolution of microstructure and mechanical state in a material during a concurrent process such as mechanical testing. Our objective is to make this technology accessible to the DoD ecosystem through maturing the measurement techniques as well as the transition pathways into metals performance modeling efforts such as fatigue lifetime prediction. We are interested in research to improve the fidelity and efficiency of synchrotron beamline data collection and analysis. Related approaches, such as transitioning synchrotron beamline techniques to laboratory x-ray sources or complementary neutron beamline measurements are also of interest. We are also interested in metals performance modeling efforts that leverage synchrotron beamline data as an input. Applicants must be U.S. Citizens and there is flexibility for on-site vs. remote participation.
SF.25.24.B10167: Environmental Assisted Cracking in High Strength 7XXX Alloys
The newest 7XXX aluminum alloys have been assessed for environmental assisted cracking (EAC) via ASTM G44 and G47 and placed into service. The US Air Force is concerned about EAC cracking in these materials as the European Union Aviation Safety Agency has issued a safety bulletin about this class of aluminum alloys and their susceptibility to EAC. The Air Force seeks to; 1) understand the failure of current standard test methods to assess this failure mode and develop new test methods, 2) understand the mechanisms that result in the greater susceptibility of new 7XXX alloys to EAC, 3) develop methods to manage the fleet risk posed by susceptible 7XXX alloys, and 4) identify a path for the development of new 7XXX alloys that offer the same quench tolerance without the EAC sensitivity. Project proposals that address the above challenges or similar topics advance our understanding of EAC in aluminum alloys are sought and likely to be selected. Applicants must be US persons and on-site presence at Wright Patterson AFB with AFRL materials researchers is preferred but not required.
SF.25.24.B10166: Synthesis of Germanium-Containing Polymers
Materials that can withstand the extreme environments such as the arctic and space, require resilient properties for longevity and survivability. For polymeric materials, one primary requirement is to maintain viscoelastic properties at extremely low temperatures (<-100 °C). As such, the exploration of new materials beyond polyolefins, perfluoronated hydrocarbons, and pure siloxane-based scaffolds is critical and necessitates the development of new and less understood chemistries. Noting the chemistry inherent to polysiloxanes has enabled low-temperature polymer development, we seek to explore polymers derived from other group 14 elements (e.g., polygermanoxanes & polystannoxanes). While the most recent efforts focus on caged structures from these novel organometallics, linear polymers and copolymers with the ability to exert control over the polymerization (i.e., living polymerizations) are desired as well as the synthesis of functional monomers for polymerization to generate a library of new materials prime for classic polymer chemistry investigations for low temperature applications. Other polymer behavior may be inherent to these structures including stimuli-responsiveness and self-healing capabilities that have thusfar gone unstudied and will be of interest to the broader DAF community.
SF.25.24.B10152: Multiscale Simulation Methods for the Design of Performance-Optimized Composite Material Architectures
The concurrent design of structures and material architectures at multiple intermediate length scales promises transformative capabilities for the future Air Force, ranging from integrated structural antennae to materials capable of sensing damage in real-time to performant joints for vehicles composed of complex components made of dissimilar materials. However, key challenges stand as barriers to this vision.
Though homogenization methods have long existed to bridge length scales with sufficient separation, methods to efficiently predict the behavior of material structures that defy length scale separations do not exist. Furthermore, damage tends to localize at a small scale and evolve into critical features at larger scales, which remains a seminal challenge for multiscale modeling to capture. Simulations are needed for the most extreme environments, ranging from hypersonic to space, requiring the incorporation of multiple physics at relevant scales. Additionally, multiscale predictions must quantify uncertainty across length scales, but new methods are required beyond the prohibitive Monte Carlo methods used today. Topology optimization algorithms offer a path to superior design, but algorithms must begin to be constrained by the manufacturing process. A key pillar of multiscale methods is varying approximations at each scale to capture pertinent phenomena, but robust methods to adaptively create suitable meshes and finite element approximations in the presence of complex topologies, geometric artifacts from preceding process simulations, and networks of cracks still need advancing. Finally, the high-performance computing hardware on which large-scale simulations rely is evolving rapidly, prompted by the opportunities created by the rise of machine learning, and demands methods to develop future-proof performance portable computational tools for emerging novel processing units.
Surmounting each of these challenges calls for ingenuity and the intersection of multiple disciplines.
SF.25.23.B10144: Colloidal Quantum Dots for Infrared and Spintronic Applications
The U.S. Air Force stands to benefit from a versatile emitter and sensor in the infrared. HgTe colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) have been extensively developed as candidate materials for such purposes (a). However, besides the presence of Hg in the quantum dots, the precursors required for use in the synthesis of HgTe CQDs are acutely toxic. Therefore we are looking into the possibilities for Hg-free CQDs. Some of the candidate compounds we have examined share features in common with spintronic materials discussed recently in the literature, and we would like to explore the possibilities for this aspect of CQDs made from these materials as well. We have begun both experimental and computational work in this direction. We are primarily interested in SFFP applicants who have experience in the synthesis and characterization of CQDs, and those with experience in computation of CQD optical and electro-optical properties. We would be particularly interested in someone with a keen interest in spintronic materials.
REFERENCES
(1) Mid-infrared HgTe Colloidal Quantum Dot LEDs, Xingyu Shen, John C. Peterson, and Philippe Guyot-Sionnest ACS Nano 2022, 16, 5, 7301-7308
(2) Intraband Transition of HgTe Nanocrystals for Long-Wave Infrared Detection at 12 m, Haozhi Zhang, John C. Peterson, and Philippe Guyot-Sionnest, ACS Nano 2023, 17, 8, 7530-7538
SF.25.23.B10134: Physics of Polymer Processing and Design
Polymeric based materials are found in a variety of technological applications of significant interest to the USAF and USSF. Many of these polymers are processed, synthesized, or designed in liquid solutions, where the structure-property relationships are dependent on solvent choice, experimental conditions (such as temperature, pressure, etc.), polymer kinetics and dynamics, among other factors. The goal is to better understand the impact of each of these factors on the resulting material performance using data-centric and/or physics-based modeling approaches. Therefore, the opportunity will focus on multi-disciplinary collaboration to develop tools for accelerating polymer design through understanding the physics of solution processing. Techniques include molecular dynamics simulations, machine learning, and/or physics-integrated machine learning models. These modeling approaches allow unique interpretation and efficiency to enable design of nano-structured polymer materials while having the ability to predict physics of polymers unseen. Principle interests include self-assembly, flow, and phase behavior, and their effect on morphology, structure, and material performance for in-situ polymer development.
SF.25.23.B10133: Liquid Metal Materials for Soft Electronics, Optics, and Mechanics
Low melting point metal alloys with majority constituents such as gallium and bismuth have recently provided unprecedented intrinsic properties for flexible, stretchable, and reconfigurable electronics. Colloidal embodiments of these materials in particle for have enabled a wide array of printed and easily manufactured devices. The liquid metal colloids suspended in a solvent exhibit melting point suppression, high surface area, and can be tune to be chemically compatible with a range of interesting substrates from responsive polymers to active electronics in order to develop a range of new smart systems. The opportunity exists to explore new form factors, material integration, and utilization of these liquid metal alloys to generate a wide range of novel responsive and resilient systems.
SF.25.23.B10126: Characterization of materials and devices for electro-optic, nonlinear optic, and photonic applications
We are interested in the investigation of electro-optic (EO) and nonlinear optical (NLO) materials and their applications. The primary focus is on solid-state materials usable in the mid and long wave infrared regions and their integration into new photonics device concepts. The research program includes the identification of novel materials, the growth or synthesis of the materials, the characterization of their linear and nonlinear optical properties, and the design and testing of EO and NLO devices. Engineering of the linear and nonlinear optical properties of materials using photonic crystals, metastructures, and other hybrid constructs is also of interest, as are methodologies to achieve precise control of target properties over time, with the goal of enhancing the optical response over bulk materials in magnitude, tailorability or complexity. These materials and concepts can find use in modulators, beam steerers, sensors, and other active or passive, bulk or structured, devices to control light propagation. The research to be conducted under the Summer Faculty program could be experimental in nature, focused on the characterization of materials and devices, or computational, focused on materials discovery, fundamental structure-property relationships, or on the study of light propagation in nonlinear materials or metastructures.
SF.25.22.B10111: Multiscale modeling of agile manufacturing processes for aerospace composites
Conventional manufacturing of aerospace composites, such as autoclave (large, high temperature oven) processes, results in high quality parts but are extremely costly as well as time and labor intensive. In contrast, agile manufacturing processes, such as resin transfer molding (RTM) or additive manufacturing (AM), are more time and cost effective; however, it is nontrivial to achieve quality parts. Often RTM and AM processes which mitigate defects are discovered through trial and error and are specific to certain part geometries, polymer resins, or composite fibers. The focus of this opportunity is to develop a more physics-based understanding of agile manufacturing techniques for aerospace composites through a combination of computational and mathematical models across various length and time scales. The aim is to make connections from molecules and chemistry (e.g. of the resin) to manufacturing processes, and, ultimately, to performance. At the macroscopic-scale, relevant physics may include multiphase flow through porous media, heat and mass transfer, and cohesion/bonding. Meanwhile the temporal evolution of material properties is a key consideration for the manufacturing of aerospace composites. At the micro- and mesoscales, it may be important to characterize e.g. the cross-linking reactions during the curing of thermosets, crystallization of thermoplastics, and the dynamic bond switching and network topology of vitrimers–to name a few. This opportunity concerns coupling models across scales in order to understand mechanisms for defect formation, the transport of defects, and the evolution of material properties throughout agile manufacturing processes.
SF.25.22.B10093: Characterization of novel 2D materials and their heterostructures
Functional two-dimensional (2D) materials are important for next-generation applications due to their exciting electronic, optical and thermal properties at the mono- and few-layer limit. These properties can be significantly enhanced by coupling disparate 2D materials into vertical or lateral heterostructures, and with the addition of twist angles between them. We are interested in studying the electron and phonon transport as well as the effect of the substrate and lattice disorder in various 2D materials and their heterostructures. Materials of interest include graphene, hexagonal boron nitride, transition metal chalcogenides, MXenes, elemental 2D materials and metal thiophosphates. By performing temperature- and pressure-dependent Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopy studies along with device measurements, we hope to elucidate the thermal properties, charge concentration and strain in these assemblies, which in turn will enable the design of novel device architectures based on 2D materials.
SF.25.22.B10066: Synthetic Biology for Microbial- and Biofilm-based Material Production
Using the Design-Build-Test-Learn principle, synthetic biology has harnessed and combined the power of molecular biology and system biology into a powerful pipeline for modern biotechnology. The focuses of our group at the Air Force Research Laboratory reside on the deep understanding and application of the synthetic biology engineering pipeline. In particular, we are utilizing protein engineering, metabolic pathway engineering, and genetic logic-gate design for biomaterials production by either planktonic cells or microbial biofilms. Currently, our research focuses on 1) melanin multi-functional materials, 2) protein-metal interactions, in particular rare earth elements and critical metals, and 3) natural rubber or other macro biomolecules (e.g. cellulose) production. With the multifaceted properties of melanin, we seek to gain a detail understanding of this enigmatic material and manipulate it for novel applications. We also endeavor to investigate the specific protein-metal coordination characteristics to innovate biological means of metal acquisition. For natural rubber or macro biomolecules, we are interested in pathway/metabolic engineering of unicellular organisms to achieve materials production. All these areas of research could yield novel materials for our urgent needs in functional materials and critical metal extraction.
SF.25.21.B10063: Structure/Property/Performance Linkages for advanced reactive materials in extreme dynamic environments
Advanced, intermetallic-forming reactive materials present a viable option to enhance weapons effects by integrating into a conventional warhead and coupling their response with the ordnance. These materials have heterogeneous microstructures, are often multiphase, and couple a thermochemical response with a mechanochemical phenomena driven by shock compression of the material. Often, the meso and micro-scale features of the material control the dynamic performance and the interplay and coupling physics between the shock waves coming from the ordnance and the reactive material define the figures of merit for this material class. Different processing strategies can help control the material microstructure and can help achieve desirable mechanical properties, but often at the expense of thermochemical properties. The purpose of the research is to establish a framework for developing the structure/property/performance linkages for a number of multiphase reactive material mixtures (e.g. Ni+Al, Ti+B, Ti+Si, etc) via numerical simulation (hydrocode modeling, continuum-based simulation) of candidate meso and microstructures, informing characterization studies (via SEM/EBSD/EDS and micro-CT), and providing input to deformation and net-shape processing trials to optimize the microstructure and identify structure/property linkages. Digital microstructural quantification techniques such as n-point correlation statistics and principal component analysis along with physics-based hydrocode simulation will be conducted and an analytical framework to assess the shock compression response of candidate microstructures will be developed in this effort. Applicants must be U.S. Citizens and there is flexibility for on-site vs. remote participation.
SF.25.21.B10058: Integrated Photonic Materials
As an enabling platform, integrated photonics has become critical to low-cost, high-performance classical- and quantum-sensing systems for DOD applications. The field of integrated photonics has greatly accelerated in recent years thanks in large part to the developed maturity of linear and nonlinear materials and improvements to the reproducibility of manufacturing processes. In order to extend this capability to next-generation requirements, exploration of new materials and structures are essential. Natural systems such as nonlinear oxides (e.g. lithium niobate, barium titanate), and metamaterials based on interface structures such as asymmetric quantum-wells, superlattices, and digital alloys are all approaches to achieve performance that far-surpasses existing capabilities. Ability to efficiently integrate these to more mature integrated photonic platforms (e.g. silicon photonics) in a hybrid approach is of extreme interest. Moreover, structures which can be designed to enhance nonlinear signals through dispersion engineering (e.g. exceptional points) to improve capabilities beyond natural materials is valuable. Areas of interest are materials and processes that can enhance sensing and information systems and evaluate them for advancement of application potential. We explore potential material candidates using standard integrated photonics modeling software, realize materials through thin-film growth (MBE, PLD, sputtering), and test materials and structures through linear and nonlinear spectroscopy with a variety of integrated photonic RF testing across relevant bands of interest.
SF.25.21.B10046: Synthesis and advanced characterization of single crystal functional materials
The Air Force Crystal Growth Center (AFCGC) at the Photonic Materials Branch of the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate at AFRL is looking for Summer faculty who will want to utilize our state of the art materials growth and characterization center for research into the fundamental structure-property relationships of functional single crystalline materials. Our main foci of research are nonlinear optical materials, ferroelectrics, and magnetic materials for eventual sensing/device applications.
Our facility has close to 40 furnaces for Czochralski, Bridgman, flux, and vapor transport growths as well as two PPMS systems and one MPMS-2 for thermal, electrical, and magnetic characterization of these materials. We also have temperature-dependent XRD and Raman capabilities as well as high pressure apparatus for characterization
SF.25.21.B10038: In situ characterization of nanostructured polymeric and biological materials
Polymeric and biologically based materials are of current interest for a wide array of technologically relevant applications including flex hybrid electronics, foldable deployable structures, and responsive materials. Additionally, the interface between these materials and devices is relevant to applications in sensors, catalysis, and anti-fouling surfaces. This research opportunity is aimed at developing new methods for 3D characterization of structure and dynamics across length scales and time scales. Development of experimental techniques, as well as data analytics tools for analyzing and reconstructing complex microscopy data are of significant interest. Advanced microscopy and scattering techniques including Electron Microscopy, Optical Characterization Techniques, In-Situ Microscopy, Electron Tomography and others will be critical to solving the materials challenges described.
SF.25.21.B10010: Investigating the latent space of machine learning models of microstructure
Generative adversarial networks, among other deep learning methods, have shown impressive results creating "deep fakes", fake images that cannot be distinguished from real ones. This work has been applied to microstructures, with equally impressive results. These approaches involve constructing images from a latent space representation, found in the training process, which encodes realistic images in a low-dimensional compact, differentiable space. Deep fakes are interpolations in this space and are statistically equivalent to those in the training set, but are not in the training set, itself. A natural question then is, what has actually been encoded into the latent space? Are the dimensions of the latent space meaningful to a materials scientist, and how can one navigate the latent space? Recent work in representations of faces indicates that there are natural, interpretable dimensions such as hair color, face pose, or nose length. We hypothesize that the latent space in a microstructure context, based on a properly trained model, could provide a roadmap of attainable, non-equilibrium microstructures, with linkages to processing and properties. If our hypothesis is correct, this opens the possibility of control over microstructure by exploiting the latent space, including finding discontinuities in the latent space, determining whether it is simply connected or would contain 'holes' that would be inaccessible by conventional processing methods, validating simulation methods in terms of the true variability of their outputs, quantifying uncertainty, and detecting rare events. In principle, this would be material agnostic, but the initial primary interest would be structural metallic systems.
SF.25.21.B10009: Composite Performance Research
Performance prognosis and characterization of advanced polymer matrix composites and ceramic matrix composites requires an understanding of the material structure and response mechanisms at multiple scales. Here we seek to characterize the enviro-mechanical response and develop appropriate models to provide accurate prognostics tools for behavior and life prediction. Of particular interest are new tools for the automated characterization of the response at the scales most important to the primary damage mechanisms. Additionally, we are seeking more accurate models sensitive to the complex enviro-mechanical environments expected in both air and space systems. For ceramic matrix composites, these environments can be quite extreme, which add significant complexity for both the experimental characterization and modeling approaches. As such we encourage novel proposals that support innovated experimental, theoretical and/or computational approaches that support these areas of research. US Citizenship required.
SF.25.21.B10007: Materials for controlling the propagation of mechanical waves
This topic addresses control of acoustic and elastic wave propagation using both active and passive phononic crystals (PnC) and resonant metamaterials (RMM), which are typically architected materials composed of periodic unit cells. The performance of these materials depends not only on the constitutive materials used for their composition but also the structural configuration of their unit cell, requiring competency in both material science and structural dynamics. One goal of this research is the development of material systems (e.g. electromechanical, magnetorheological, thermoelastic, etc.) that can be processed via additive manufacturing to create tunable PnC/RMM capable of changing their dynamic behavior in response to external stimuli. Another goal is the development of techniques to aid in the design of the unit cell architecture to enable novel effects (e.g. optimization, numerical modeling, analytical relationships, etc.). The overarching objective of this research area is to solve practical Air Force problems using PnC/RMM phenomena like negative effective properties, non-reciprocity, non-linearity and interface effects (e.g. boundary conditions, lattice defects, topological edge modes). Common Air Force applications include aeroacoustics, vibration reduction, noise reduction, and impact resistance. Applicants must be a US Citizen.
SF.25.21.B10006: Advancing human-machine teaming for agile automation
Bridging the gap between human objectives and machine behaviors is key to agile automation for DAF-relevant high-mix low-volume manufacturing and automated research. On the human side, this topic consists of interfaces, such as AR and VR, that enable more complete digitization, communication, and standardization of the objectives of a particular task. On the machine side, this topic involves abstraction of fundamental machine behaviors into flexible archetypes such as “affix screw” or “assemble engine”. Both of these elements produce massive amounts of data that needs to be organized. stored, and processed. Ultimately, these two sides must overlap to generate an adaptable communication pipeline between human and machine. Furthermore, there must be some sort of standardization to facilitate translation to new people and machines. Research topics of interest cover novel approaches to the challenges listed above.
SF.25.21.B10005: Developing Trustworthy Human-Machine Teams for Manufacturing
With the goal of “Teaching Tools to Be Teammates”, we are exploring how to make a variety of robotic manufacturing systems more agile and autonomous while actively collaborating with human subject level experts in order to achieve functional agility and overcome large deviations from the planned objective. Recent advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence have shown promise in providing this agility, and we are exploring how to employ these algorithms while augmenting classic control theory, optimization, and physics-based modeling to enable more autonomy in manufacturing. For these autonomous technologies to become pervasive in industrial manufacturing environments, humans will need to develop the appropriate level of trust in their capabilities, which become increasingly more critical in more collaborative operations. Research topics exploring trust calibration, trust dynamics, and/or explainable AI for human-robot interactions with interest in applications to manufacturing ecosystems are encouraged.
SF.25.21.B10004: Phonon-Engineering of Solid-State Systems
The control, generation, and manipulation of light within solid-state materials has been an active area of research for many decades, leading to a plethora of photonics-based technologies over wide frequency bands of the electromagnetic spectrum. This same level of control does not exist for phonons, however, which play a dominant role in the optical and thermal properties of many materials. We are soliciting proposals on the topic of phonon-engineering of solid-state systems with application potential for quantum technologies, thermal management, and energy harvesting.
SF.25.21.B0003: Design of Mechanically Adaptive Materials and Responsive Architectures
Mechanically adaptive materials respond to environmental cues by converting external stimuli into motion via an internal material algorithm defined by composition and structure. Such programmable polymers include shape memory polymers (thermal stimulus), self-oscillating gels (chemical), sulfonylated polyimides (humidity) and liquid crystal elastomer networks (thermal/photo). The resultant motion, shape change or mechanical property remodeling offers unique opportunities for remote sensing, energy harvesting, robotics, and human performance technologies. Their impact can be further expanded through the design and patterning of composite adaptive materials, which contain active and inactive material domains. In addition to amplifying behavior through structural design, such as maximizing deflection through a cantilever, bi-stable plate or torsional spring geometry, arrangements of mechanically active and inactive units within a monolith can lead to communication, sensing, locomotion, or logic behaviors. The aims of this work include the development of computational design tools, novel fabrication methodology and experimental characterization of adaptive materials with programmable properties. Material sets that exhibit nonlinear elastic behavior and coupling between global topology and local material property control are of broad interest for this effort.
SF.25.21.B0002: Metal Additive Manufacturing Processing Science
Rapid thermal excursions and repeated cycling across solid-liquid and solid-solid phase transformations are common in metal additive manufacturing processes, the details of which are often tightly coupled to component geometry. The consequences of these unique processing attributes for microstructure evolution and material performance remain poorly understood and are typically viewed as a hindrance rather than for their potential benefits. Ongoing efforts seek to understand the implications of these details and ultimately design and test novel processing pathways that can spatially manipulate microstructural features such as grain size and morphology, crystallographic texture, chemical/phase inhomogeneities, defect content, and residual stresses. Essential to this are the development of methods for rapidly assessing and optimizing processing pathways to include fast-acting/surrogate process models, integration of novel microstructural prediction capabilities, strategies to reduce problem complexity and dimensionality, and methods to efficiently employ and sequence multi-energy source powder bed fusion systems.
SF.25.20.B0013: In operando Characterization of Polymer Matrix Composites
Current manufacturing processes of polymer matrix composites are time intensive and require special tools. Our research centers on high-temperature polymer thermosets and the understanding of processing conditions that enable robust, advanced part manufacturing processes, such as 3D Printing or resin transfer molding. Specifically, our goal is to develop and confirm advanced capabilities for relating the fundamental principles that govern processes to the evolution of micro/nanostructure, cure chemistry, filler alignment, and their effects on resulting mechanical performance. This includes probing the polymer/filler interaction using advanced characterization methods and the study of in operando structure and morphology evolution. Techniques include X-ray/Neutron scattering (including Synchrotron radiation experiments), electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and rheology.
SF.25.20.B0012: Atomistic Scale Materials Hybridization for Multifunctionality
Materials hybridization (hetero-material configuration) all the way to atomistic scale offers unprecedented opportunities for optimizing materials functionality (electronic, thermal, chemical, and mechanical) at reduced material consumption and potentially reduced materials qualification costs. We seek multi-material heterogeneity through efficient design of materials interface morphology, processing protocol for precise placement of atoms/molecules via appropriate processing routes. We also have interest in nano scale materials hybridization for ultra-high temperate materials with multifunctionality in metal-carbides, -borides in nanowire and its assembled network. Our emphasis is in integrating scale-appropriate (atomic, meso, continuum) materials modeling with processing science towards developing scalable materials processing approaches and understanding the fundamentals of materials response influencing device performance. Interest is in employing innovative materials modeling, (DFT, MD, tight binding DFT, meso-scale, continuum mechanics) to facilitate developing scalable nano-processing and manufacturing approaches, such as, printing, laser or e-beam processing. Creative material metrology in conjunction of the materials modeling is also of interest.
SF.25.20.B0008: Flexible 2D materials for electronics and sensing
Flexible and stretchable devices based on two-dimensional (2D) materials are known to exhibit a rare combination of high electronic, sensing, and optoelectronic performance with the ability to accommodate large amounts of strain. This unique coupling is enabled by the broad optical absorption in graphene and other 2D material systems, quantum confinement of energy carriers in the 2D plane resulting in ultrafast transport dynamics, the van der Waals bonding between the layers, and the enhanced electromechanical properties that arise due to the extreme thinness of the material. We are interested in incorporation of 2D materials on polymeric substrates through direct synthesis, laser manipulation, and transfer processes to utilize the exceptional properties of these materials for future electronics and sensors. Materials of interest include elemental 2D structure including graphene, silicene, and phosphorene, as well as transition metal dichalcogenides, hexagonal boron nitride, and emerging van der Waals materials and heterostructures. By developing effective strategies to crystalize, dope, and functionalize these materials in a controlled manner, the development of robust, strainable, and high performing flexible electronics and sensors can be realized for future Air Force applications.
SF.25.20.B0006: Materials and Device Structures for Topological Quantum Computing and Related Applications
While companies are reporting steady progress towards the realization of superconducting q-bit based quantum computers, achieving fault-tolerant quantum computing through the implementation of quantum error-correction techniques remains a challenge. Materials and systems exhibiting quasi-particles with Non-abelian statistics, such as semiconductor/superconductor nanowire systems predicted to host Majorana fermions, have been proposed as a path towards topological quantum computing systems, predicted to be less prone to errors due to topological protection of the quasi-particle state. However, careful tuning of systems and isolation from external stimuli (e.g. light, heat) is required to achieve a topologically protected state in the first place. Candidates should perform experiments in material growth, quasi-particle transport characterization, first principles calculation, and/or quantum-mechanical transport/device modeling towards the development of materials and/or device structures with novel quasi-particle statistics and/or topological protection, towards the realization of topologically protected quantum computing and/or related applications through improved topologically protected quasi-particle stability.
SF.25.20.B0004: Developing Next-Generation Multi-Functional Composites for Aerospace Applications using Multi-scale Modeling and Machine Learning Approaches
There is an ever-changing, constant need for designing novel composite materials for aerospace applications that offer a broader gamut of multi-functionality (sensing, electrical and thermal properties, desired interfaces characteristics, adhesion, energy storage/harvesting, low density, etc.) and structural stability (mechanical behavior, stiffness or compliance, fracture toughness, high temperature stability, minimal physical aging, etc.) with an eventual goal of minimizing costs and maximizing operational performance and efficiency. Experimentally, this design space is often explored via building upon previous reported literature towards synthesizing and characterizing state-of-the-art composite materials for various applications. This opportunity seeks motivated summer faculty fellows and their students to employ well-formalized atomistic modeling (quantum chemistry, molecular dynamics) and coarse-grain methods as well as to develop new modeling methods and data analytics/machine learning/artificial intelligence frameworks to investigate and understand structure-property-performance relationships in multi-functional polymeric matrix composites (PMCs) and ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) for next-generation multi-functional composites geared towards aerospace applications. The summer faculty fellows will work along with a number of AFRL (Air Force Research Laboratory) scientists and engineers towards solving complex problems related to PMCs and CMCs design, processing and structural performance. Specific topics could include (but not limited to) a) utilizing of the shelf AI/ML methods as well as develop physics-informed AI/ML methods for PMCs materials design and discovery as well as structural performance prediction in PMCs and CMCs; & b) complement experimental efforts with multiscale modeling approaches towards better appreciation of molecular origins of structure-property-performance relationships in PMCs and CMCs
SF.25.20.B0003: Advanced Processing of Ceramic and Ceramic Matrix Composite Structures
New and/or advanced materials and processing techniques are required to enable the development of next generation Air Force propulsion and hypersonic components. Our focus is on fundamental structure-property-processing relationships for ceramics and ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) across all constituents and length scales. Materials of interest include ceramics and CMCs with high- and ultra-high temperature ceramic (UHTC) components that can withstand the harsh environments encountered in AF components. These materials include, but are not limited to: oxide and non-oxide based CMCs, structural ceramics with RF transparency, and fiber-reinforced UHTCs. Advancements in regards to fundamental understanding of the inherent material properties, novel processing routes, and relevant environmental characterization are desired. Additive manufacturing (AM) methods such as direct ink writing, fused deposition modeling, and stereolithography are all tools of interest for creating more complex-shaped ceramic and composites with tailorable microstructures. Additionally, exploration of process modeling and/or in-situ monitoring is beneficial in providing enhanced understanding of traditional and AM-based ceramic and CMC processing.
SF.25.20.B0002: Development of Inorganic and Hybrid Polymers and Composites for High Temperature Resins and Coatings
In this research we seek to develop coatings and composites for use at high temperatures in oxidizing environments. The use of state-of the art organic resins are limited by oxidation at higher temperatures. In this temperature regime, metal components are traditionally used. However, the use of suitable polymeric composites would result in significant weight savings. Inorganic and hybrid (organic-inorganic) polymers may provide a viable route for lightweight, thermo-oxidatively stable materials with processing similar to traditional polymer composites. Example systems of interest include carbosilane and aluminum phosphate polymers, and highly networked Alumino/Siloxo (-O-Al- and -O-Si-) systems such as MQ/MT siloxanes and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) systems. Hybrid polymers containing other heteroatoms are also of interest. To improve mechanical properties, hybridization of inorganic systems with high performance organic resins may also be investigated. US citizenship required.
SF.25.19.B0015: Enabling Tailorable Material Properties with Synthetic Methods
The ability to synthetically tailor the molecular structure and chemical architecture of functional materials provides an opportunity to meet many Air Force application needs. Agile synthetic platforms are desirable for research tasks related to organic sensors, adhesives, and stimuli-responsive materials. Furthermore, incorporation of these systems into flexible devices remains vital to their long term success on the battlefield. Research efforts will leverage AFRL expertise and capabilities in materials science, chemistry, engineering, and biochemistry to target human performance monitoring, wearable devices, and responsive structures. Specific areas of interest include polymer synthesis, sequence specific materials, adaptable materials and organic material synthesis. Furthermore, there remains interest in incorporating machine learning methods into synthesis and material properties studies, as well as using continuous flow chemistry to synthesize materials and macromolecules.
SF.25.19.B0012: Two-dimensional materials and their heterostructures for advanced electronics applications
Our group develops new materials and processes for advanced electronics and computing architectures using a combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches. We leverage the emergent properties of two dimensional materials to enable fundamentally new capabilities in sensing, RF communications, and computing. Materials of interest include 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), transition metal carbides/nitrides (MXenes), transition metal borides (MBenes), and thin film hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites (HOIPs). We routinely use an extensive suite of characterization tools to understand the processing-structure-property relationships in these materials. These include CW spectroscopy (UV-Vis, FTIR, Raman), modulation spectroscopy (electroabsorption), surface probe microscopy (AFM, AFM-IR, microwave AFM), electron microscopy (SEM, TEM, EELS), and X-Ray scattering (XRD, GISAXS, GIWAXS). We invite faculty fellows whose research interests will leverage these experimental resources to solve critical challenges central to the development of DAF-relevant technologies.
References
• Scalable synthesis of 2D van der Waals superlattices (https://arxiv.org/abs/2111.02864)
• Reversibly Tailoring Optical Constants of Monolayer Transition Metal Dichalcogenide MoS2 Films: Impact of Dopant-Induced Screening from Chemical Adsorbates and Mild Film Degradation (https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsphotonics.1c00183)
• Laser writing of electronic circuitry in thin film molybdenum disulfide: A transformative manufacturing approach (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369702120303394)
• Halogen Etch of Ti3AlC2 MAX Phase for MXene Fabrication (https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsnano.0c08630)
Direct detection of circular polarized light in helical 1D perovskite-based photodiode (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abd3274)
SF.25.19.B0011: Wide and Ultra-Wide Bandgap Materials for Extreme Environment Applications
The recent maturity of solid state devices based on Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Silicon Carbide (SiC) has found commercially viable application to solid state power electronics and radio frequency (RF) power electronics devices, with enhanced performance enabled by their larger bandgap compared to Silicon. Ultra-wide bandgap, such as Aluminium Gallium Nitride (AlGaN) and Galium Oxide (Ga2O3) materials may continue this trend, leveraging bandgaps even larger than those of GaN and SiC. Though the promise of these materials for RF and power electronics applications is well established, the performance of these materials remain relatively untested in extreme environments, including high temperature (T > 300C) and high radiation (e.g. heavy ion linear energy transfer >10 MeV-cm2/mg). In order to extend the application of wide bandgap materials and/or ultra-wide bandgap materials to extreme environments, an understanding of their material properties and those of their heterostructures, including transport, doping, defects, dielectric interface, metal-semiconductor interface, and ohmic contacts, is essential. In addition, understanding how material growth affects these properties is also critical. Candidates should grow and/or characterize wide-bandgap and/or ultra-wide bandgap materials in order to evaluate and/or improve properties of interest to enable future extreme environment electronics technologies based on these materials.
SF.25.19.B0009: Synthesis and Processing of Preceramic Polymers for Ceramic Matrix Composites and Compositionally Complex Ceramics
This research effort focuses on developing new high-performance materials that can withstand high temperatures and extreme environments for next generation materials for aerospace, nuclear, and space applications. This includes the design, synthesis, processing, and characterization of organic and inorganic molecules, hybrids, and preceramic polymers. Specifically we are interested in material synthesis, processing science, and advanced manufacturing of ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs), compositionally complex ceramics (CCCs) and high entropy ceramics (HECs) via polymer derived routes. These materials are an emerging class of ceramics that have attracted a considerable amount of interest recently due to their remarkable properties including high thermal stability, high hardness, mechanical strength, and enhanced chemical resistance. Characterization techniques include chemical structure analysis, scattering, microscopy, spectroscopy, and thermal analysis. We are also interested in modeling of these high temperature molecules and polymers to help drive processing and material design.
SF.25.19.B0007: Nondestructive Evaluation, Characterization, Analytics
This topic addresses fundamental technical challenges toward reliable nondestructive quantitative materials and damage characterization, regardless of scale. The intended application of this technology is towards improved nondestructive evaluation (NDE) capabilities that are integral to the sustainment and structural integrity of USAF airframes and engines and to the qualification of new materials with tailored properties. This includes but is not limited to technologies such as electromagnetic radiation across all frequency ranges, mechanical waves (e.g., ultrasound), and thermal diffusion-based methods. Current research focuses on the following activities:
• Development and utilization of forward models for quantitative prediction and optimization of NDE methods, which, have clear potential to account for the complexity of aerospace components.
• Development and utilization inverse methods to quantify the material state from NDE data, which, have clear potential to account for the complexity of aerospace components
• Analytics and statistical methods for data discovery from NDE data
• Implementation of uncertainty quantification of NDE models and experimental methods
• Correlative analysis of NDE data with ‘ground truth’ 3D data
• Creation of new NDE methods, and miniaturization of existing methods
• Integration of robotics (including swarm approaches), spatial registration sensors, machine vision, augmented and virtual reality, autonomous control systems, and other advanced technology with NDE methods
• Capability validation of in-situ damage detection sensors (Structural Health Monitoring (SHM)) via probability of detection methods
This topic is restricted to citizens of the United States.
SF.25.19.B0006: Nondestructive Evaluation for Additive Composite Materials
Additive composite materials may one day revolutionize the design of USAF airframes. However, nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods for characterizing manufacturing defects and damage remain in their infancy. Novel NDE methods to address this challenge are critical to implementation of these materials within USAF aircraft. Methods may include, but are not limited to, new or improved sensor designs that reveal greater detail than current state-of-the-art techniques like ultrasound, eddy current, or thermography; new models or analytical methods for defect or damage inversion; and/or the development of structural health monitoring (SHM) or self-sensing capabilities to provide real-time feedback on the material state.
SF.25.19.B0004: Modeling, Synthesis, and Characterization of Point Defects for Quantum Technology
Quantum technologies demand unique materials properties which depend on the specific application. For example, quantum information processing benefits from single photon sources that work at room temperature, with short excited state lifetimes. Quantum metrological applications rely on factors such as ground state electronic spins with long coherence times, optical spin-polarization effects, and electronic fine structures that are dependent on strain and electric / magnetic field interactions.
Single photon sources have been identified in systems such as diamond, silicon carbide, hexagonal boron nitride, and gallium nitride. We search for color centers that may have material properties that are more favorable than known systems for high rep-rate single photon sources, quantum sensing, and metrology. The rapid identification of such color centers and prediction of their photophysical properties would impact the existing quantum technology industry.
We theoretically model defect sites of interest with respect to physical parameters key to quantum technological applications. We use supercell and cluster approaches. Factors of interest include: absorption energy, emission wavelength, excited state lifetime, and the dependence of these quantities on electric, magnetic, and strain fields. We are also looking at ways to apply machine learning to identify new candidate defect centers.
We study novel ways to efficiently incorporate defects into diamond during synthesis, such as using rational design of defect molecules, and e-beam chemistry . Finally, we characterize the suitability of the synthesized defects for quantum technology applications using confocal microscopy, single-photon counting, magneto-optical spectroscopy, and electron microscopy.
SF.25.19.B0003: Structural Ceramics for Aerospace Applications
The Ceramic Materials & Processes Research Team`s core focus areas center on research in the development of advanced fiber-reinforced ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs) and their constituents and in understanding how service environments degrade performance at the constituent level. Fundamental scientific issues remain to be addressed to enable the development of a full range of high-performance ceramics and ceramic-matrix composites for Air Force air and space applications. Current research focuses on investigating higher temperature nonoxide fiber and matrix constituents for enhanced durability, development of oxide fiber coatings and interface control, developing fabrication processes specifically for nonoxide composites, investigating the stability of constituents in aggressive environments, and understanding key environmental effects on constituent-level behavior that affects life in relevant service environments. Intended service environments for these composites include turbine and scramjet engines, as well as hot structures and thermal protection systems for hypersonic vehicles.
SF.25.19.B0002: Novel Ceramic Nanostructures, Preceramic Polymer Chemistry, Additive Manufacturing, and Composites for Extreme Environments
Our research is focused on developing synthesis and advanced processing strategies that yield high-temperature materials with well-controlled and novel nanostructures. By exploiting nanoscale design, structural hierarchy, synthesis, and processing we strive to improve the performance of ceramic materials and composites for applications in extreme environments or multifunctional roles. Summer faculty fellows will work with the multidisciplinary AFRL team to pursue revolutionary concepts in high-temperature material design and synthesis. Our research group focuses on materials synthesis, nanomaterials, advanced manufacturing, and biomimetic materials. Advanced concepts in high-temperature composites are also of interest.
Materials currently being studied include inorganic nanomaterials, hybrid nanomaterials, preceramic polymers, dendrimer polymers, refractory ceramics, non-oxide ceramics, organometallic polymers, semiorganic polymers, hyperbranched polymers, block co-polymers, 2D materials, nanotubes, C/C, and ceramic nanocomposites.
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=cqQDl34AAAAJ&hl=en
This opportunity is open to US citizens only.
SF.25.18.B0007: High Temperature Oxidation and Environmental Resistance in Refractory Complex Concentrated Alloys
Refractory complex concentrated alloys (RCCAs) are an emerging class of alloy that have the potential to push the temperature capability of current metallic solutions. While these alloys have been shown to have higher specific strength than nickel-based superalloys at elevated temperatures, they have been limited by environmental attack. Recent work has highlighted compositions that have shown increased oxidation resistance in comparison to conventional refractory alloys, which is promoted by the sluggish oxidation of complex oxides. While this work has identified some beneficial prototype oxide structures much more fundamental work is required to deliver inherent oxidation resistance for a structural RCCA alloy. We are interested in foundational work focused on inherent oxidation of these complex systems including: understanding of oxidation thermodynamics and kinetics, identification of protective oxide products and predictive oxidation models. We are also interested in exploring the use of coatings and surface treatments to increase oxidation resistance while minimally effecting the bulk composition.
SF.25.18.B0005: Magnetoelectric Materials for Frequency Tunable Microwave Electronics
The objectives of this research are to investigate different magnetoelectric materials and phenomena with an eye towards elucidating novel materials physics that can be used for frequency agile microwave electronics. Description: Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) in ferro/ferromagnetic materials is a promising physical phenomena for frequency tunable microwave electronics as is indicated by the widespread use of FMR in Yttrium Iron Garnet (YIG) based frequency agile oscillators and filters. Investigating novel frequency agile driving mechanisms and approaches holds the key to paving the way towards next generation microwave electronics. Thus, we are interested in studies involves investigations into novel materials, processes and physical phenomena associated with the dynamics of magnetic materials including ferromagnetic resonance and spin waves at microwave frequencies and the ability to induce/tune such high frequency oscillations without the use of external electromagnets. Towards this aim promising topics of study include, but not limited to voltage tunable FMR, novel current FMR tuning mechanisms, anti-ferromagnetic resonance, exchange bias or dipolar bias as a means to shift, fix, or adjust FMR frequencies, acoustic-driven FMR, and/or material studies associated with composite multiferroics.
SF.25.18.B0004: Laser Processing of Soft Materials and Devices
The use of lasers to directly crystallize, functionalize, pattern and induce local surface reactions in soft materials represents an exciting processing development for future flexible devices. With this technique, materials can be processed on soft, flexible substrates by restricting the absorption of the light to the active material only and also allow sub-micron photon-matter interactions and patterning. Particular materials of interest include 2D materials, organic electronic materials, nanoparticles, and other nanomaterials for flexible sensors, transistors, and photonic devices. In-situ process diagnostics will look into kinetics of phase transformation, microstructure, and morphology of the nanomaterials undergoing laser processing. Post processing characterization will include x-ray characterization, atomic force microscopy, Raman and photoluminescence, as well as electrical testing in both the DC and RF domains. This research program will address the Air Force manufacturing and processing needs for next generation flexible electronics for man/machine communication and conformal ISR.
SF.25.18.B0002: Ultra-wide bandgap (UWBG) Materials for Electronics and Optoelectronics
The objective is to study the fundamental properties of ultra-wide bandgap (UWBG) semiconductor materials (bandgap larger than 4 eV, e.g., AlN, Ga2O3, diamond, cubic boron nitride) including electronic transport measurement, defect information, photoluminescence, capacitance spectroscopy, etc. It will also involve the fabrication of the test structures for these measurements. UWBG semiconductors have the intrinsic advantages of large breakdown voltages for high power handling, emitting deep ultra-violet light, and providing stable single photon emission at room temperature due to their large bandgaps. Fundamental studies need to be pursued to understand the basic properties of these materials due to the early stage of research and development we are at. Therefore, in this topic, we look into various ways to characterize the UWBG materials to gain important knowledge on their bandstructures, electronic transport properties, defect information, interface properties, and optical emission. The characterization techniques include but are not limited to Hall-effect measurements, voltage-current measurements, capacitance spectroscopy, photoluminescence, and optical absorption. Sample preparation and test structure fabrication will also be involved to produce the test samples. The goal of this project is to generate critical and novel knowledge to evaluate UWBG materials for the interests of AF and DoD.
SF.25.17.B0001: Advanced Materials for Switching Memory Devices
An overarching theme for this research is materials development to enable more precise control over the memristor switching properties, electrical testing results from device pairs that exhibit multi-terminal latching, and efforts towards integration of multiple devices to emulate neuron functions such as programmable spiking behavior. The ultimate goal of this research program is the realization of a memristor-based, fully non-digital, neuron equivalent that can function as a unit cell in a cellular neural network. Dense crossbar arrays of non-volatile memory (NVM) devices represent one possible path for implementing massively-parallel and highly energy-efficient neuromorphic computing systems. Different types of NVM devices – including phase change memory, conductive-bridging RAM, filamentary and non-filamentary RRAM, and other NVMs –for use within a neuromorphic computing application would be investigated in this research.
Specific research would look into synthesis by Atomic Layer Deposition and Pulsed Laser Deposition, device processing (photolithography), and device performance characterization of these NVM materials. Material characterization methods like SEM and TEM (material microstructure and morphology), spectroscopic ellipsometry, x-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, photoluminescence, temperature-dependent Hall-effect/sheet-resistivity, temperature-dependent current-voltage, deep level transient spectroscopy, transmission line, TDTR (Time Domain Thermo Reflectance) can be applicable to establish structure property relationships. Applicants with backgrounds in various semiconductors and their electrical and thermal characterization techniques, and in simple device processing techniques are desirable. This research program will address to Air Force needs for the next generation extreme environment survivable high power RF electronics.
SF.25.16.B0002: Damage Tolerant Multifunctional Polymer Composites
Efficient materials design and development of tools for their damage prediction are crucial for multifunctional composites. Biomimetic design has opened up avenues for achieving extraordinary combinations of toughness and strength, similar to natural composites, although natural composites still surpass these properties. Key challenges include lack of understanding of the failure mechanisms in such composites and the influence of size, shape, and orientation of the nanofiller on toughening. There are still open questions about chemical structure and morphology around the interphase region and its influence on the mechanics. Overcoming these challenges requires careful design and a multidisciplinary approach combining synthesis, processing, characterization (across scales), and multiscale modeling. We are interested in understanding the failure mode from the nano- to higher scales, and the underlying processing structure-property relationship. Key interests include the biomimetic design of hierarchical structures; elucidating the fundamental principles of the underlying fracture mechanism based on chemistry and shape/size/distribution of the nanofillers; investigating corresponding electrical and optical properties; and establishing techniques to predict failure using molecular and mesoscale mechanics modeling. Techniques include bulk and surface spectroscopy, high-resolution X-ray micro-computed tomography, nanoscale chemical/physical/mechanical mapping, atomic force microscopy, electron microscopy, in-situ testing, and multiscale modeling.
Keywords:
Biomimetic; Nanocomposite; Nanoscale imaging; Polymer; Mechanical properties; Spectroscopy; Fracture mechanics; Electro-optical properties; Multiscale modeling;
SF.25.13.B7103: Nucleation and Growth of Carbon Nanotubes
Carbon nanotubes have been studied extensively beginning in the early 1990's. Their unparalleled properties make them attractive for application in composites, electronic devices, sensors, etc. However, production of nanotubes remains inefficient and expensive, and the as-produced purity is typically less than desired. Improvements in production yield, catalyst efficiency, purity and type selectivity will enhance the viability of these materials. A fundamental understanding of the mechanisms by which nanotubes nucleate and grow is pursued in order to achieve such improvements by in-situ characterization of nucleation and growth.
We are exploring rational design of catalysts for CVD synthesis of carbon nanotubes. We modify the catalyst and catalyst support and observe the resultant changes in nanotube growth. We have also developed an Autonomous Rapid Experimentation System (ARES) to increase our ability to explore this complex parameter space. We work collaboratively with different disciplines including materials science, chemistry, physics, robotics, operations research and artificial intelligence/machine learning.
SF.25.07.B5471: Development and Characterization of Photorefractive Materials
Photorefractive materials are being studied for applications in all-optical devices where the transfer of energy from one beam to another (beam coupling) occurs through a photorefractive grating. In inorganic photorefractives, contra-directional two-beam coupling is achieved when two counter-propagating beams interfere and form a reflection grating. The use of this geometry for studying the photorefractive properties of a material has the advantage of simplicity because only one incident beam is used, while the second beam is generated by the Fresnel refection inside the material. We have also investigated photorefractive transmission gratings in hybridized organic-inorganic photorefractive materials, as well as light scattering effects in hybridized organic-inorganic photovoltaic liquid crystal cells. Ferroelectric nanoparticles have been incorporated in the hybridized organic-inorganic photorefractive materials to enhance the optical gain.
We are interested in developing and understanding the physics of bulk and hybridized materials that exhibit the photorefractive effect in the visible, near-infrared, and infrared spectral regions. Because the photovoltaic effect can strongly influence the formation of gratings in some materials, we are also interested in the electrical properties of photorefractive materials. Inorganic crystals, liquid crystals, and ferroelectric nanoparticles are being explored.
References
Carns JL, et al: Optics Letters 31: 993 (2006).
Cook G, et al: Optics Express 16: 4015, 2008
Basun SA, et al: Physical Review B, 84: 024105, 2011
Evans DR, et al: Physical Review B, 84: 174111, 2011
Basun SA, et al: Physical Review B 93: 094102, 2016.
Shcherbin K, et al: Optics Express 6: 3670, 2016.
Keywords:
Nonlinear optics; Photovoltaic effect; Hybridized-organic-inorganic-photorefractive materials; Liquid crystal light valves; Photorefractive effect; Contra-directional two-beam coupling
SF.25.07.B0141: Fabrication of Materials for Nonlinear Optics Applications
We are investigating the synthesis and characterization of materials for nonlinear optics applications. The systems we are studying include chromophores, nanoparticle-chromophore hybrids, quantum dots, two-dimensional materials, perovskites and photonic polymer systems. We investigate the fabrication and properties of polymer composites, molecular glasses, multilayers, metalens systems and optical structures containing these materials. We also perform investigation of excited state behavior, including flash photolysis, ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy and emission spectroscopy. Researchers with experience in chemical synthesis, polymer engineering and optical design are encouraged to apply.
SF.25.06.B5508: Hetero-structured Nano Materials and Devices
The innovative utilization of materials heterogeneity through efficient design of materials interface morphology, especially at the atomistic and nano scale, offers new opportunities in tailoring properties (electronic, thermal, chemical and mechanical) of materials, expanding materials design space, and influencing device performance. The emerging 2D heterostructures, both in planar and 3D configurations, offer wide materials selection and design options, among other possibilities. The emphasis is in understanding the role of hetero-material interface physics at the atomic scale to tailoring properties and linking that to continuum – geared towards efficient materials design for quantum devices, memoristors, energy, and sensors. Employing meso scale modeling approaches (such as tight binding DFT, MD, etc.) is of interest for quantitative interpretation of experimental data, along with the integration of atomistic and meso scale is of interest for tailored materials design of multiple constituents, vacancy, point defects, and its nanostructured interface design.
SF.25.06.B4279: Towards Bottom Up Meta Materials: Hetero-Assemblies of Functional Nano-Structured Hybrids and Polymers
Vaia, R - (937) 255-9209
The ability to engineer the performance of a material system is directly related to the precision of the techniques available to prescribe the structure and arrangement of its constituents (i.e. its architecture). Many emerging technologies require organic-inorganic compositions (30-60%) and architectural refinement that challenge traditional blending concepts, as well as demanding throughput and acreage that challenge emerging high-energy lithography and deposition technologies. Demands for such films and bulk materials range from high performance dielectrics, human performance sensors, and energy storage, to plasmonics, optical metamaterials, nonlinear-optical devices, and compliant conductors.
Efforts focus on establishing the principles underlying processing-structure-property relationships through a multi-disciplinary team that combines synthesis, processing, simulation, physics and concept demonstration. The goal is to understand the factors limiting structural perfection, and thereby establish predictability between the design of the organic-inorganic building block and the properties of its resultant assembly and device. Principle interests include inorganic nanoparticle synthesis, interface modification with a focus on the biotic-abiotic, self- and directed assembly, plasmonics, electro-optical performance, mechanical adaptivity, autonomic response and process compatibility with print-to-device technologies. Techniques include polymer physics, scattering (optical, x-ray, and neutron including synchrotron radiation experiments for real-time characterization), electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, standard linear and nonlinear optical characterization, bulk and surface spectroscopy, modeling, processing, and synthesis.