MSE Colloquium: Ali Sayir, Aerospace Materials for Extreme Environments

Abstract

Transformative breakthroughs most of the time do not originate from the investigations of materials in the equilibrium state but in contrary at the margins of stability, in a regime at the limit or outside of the textbook knowledge within the discipline. In this context, this presentation will embrace materials and processing science approaches that are far from the thermodynamic equilibrium domain; i.e., directionally solidified eutectic structures, highly doped piezoelectric and thermoelectric materials, and other oxide materials with cage structures for electron emission.  The intent is to elucidate the complex interplay between phase transitions for electronic/magnetic phase separation and untangle the interdependence between structural and electronic effects.  I will also discuss what I consider to be promising research concentration areas within ceramics research, including the focused development of a ceramics processing science laboratory for ceramic matrix composites, the development of materials for use in the hypersonic regime, as well as the design of composite insulators containing thermal radiation inhibitors.

Bio

Dr. Sayir is currently the Program Manager of High Temperature Aerospace Materials at AFOSR. Dr. Sayir received his Ph. D. in 1990 in Materials Science and Engineering from Case Western Reserve University and held a Diplom Ingenieur Degree from the Technical University of Clausthal, Germany. Dr. Sayir joined NASA Lewis Research Center (now Glenn) in 1990 as a National Research Counsel awardee. Upon joining NASA Glenn, he began a career of eutectic solidification and basic research in polyphase microstructures. He has made contributions in the development and use of advanced high strength, single crystal fibers for high temperature applications, piezo-ceramics with higher temperature capability for actuation devices, and thermoelectric materials and space power applications.

Dr. Sayir has served on national and international committees, and has over 40 invited presentations for the American Ceramic Society, American Physical Society, European Ceramic Society, Electrochemical Society and Materials Research Society. He organized five International Workshops and co-organized 11 symposiums with American Ceramic Society and published over 110 peer-reviewed journal publications. He has been a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society since 2010. He received the Medal for Public Service Award (2003), R & D 100 Award for Laser Fiber Growth (1993), NASA Inventions Board Awards (2009, 2008, 2007), and received numerous recognitions from Industry and government laboratories.

As Point of Contact for Materials and Structures of NASA Hypersonic program, he coordinated materials and structures projects between NASA centers, Department of Defense, Industry and Academia. Dr. Sayir has been serving since 2005 as the Director of an international Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) funded program to develop directionally solidified boride eutectics. Since 2008 he has held a Research Associate Professor faculty appointment at Case Western Reserve University in the Department of Materials Science of Engineering and since 2005 has held an adjunct faculty appointment in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Akron.