Special Seminar: Dr. Rajeev Gupta, Lightweight and Corrosion Resistant Alloys

Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Akron

Abstract

Development of high strength, lightweight and corrosion resistant alloys is critical to meet the current demand of increasing the fuel efficiency and decreasing carbon emission. The strength and corrosion resistance of engineering alloys is limited by the conventional compositions, production and processing technologies. To realize the full potential of the metallic materials and increase their properties beyond the existing limits a number of challenges related to controlling the microstructure and therefore properties must first be resolved. Fundamental understanding of the influence of the composition and processing on microstructure and properties at nanoscale is key to developing novel alloys with revolutionary properties. One of the focus areas of research in the speaker’s group is advancing the fundamental understanding of the structure/processing/property relationships in metallic martials and apply this in improving corrosion resistance of commercial alloys and developing novel metallic materials. The ongoing research in the speaker's group has demonstrated possibilities of developing new alloys with superior properties by combining suitable alloy compositions and manufacturing technologies, and harnessing unique characteristics of the metastable nanocrystalline materials. For instance, nanocrystalline Al alloys with high strength and excellent corrosion resistance have been developed by enhancing the solubility of selected alloying elements in Al and refining the grain size < 100 nm. Furthermore, recent work on low cost corrosion resistant compositionally complex alloys and improving the corrosion behavior of commercial alloys without forfeiting their mechanical properties will also be presented.

Bio

Dr. Rajeev Gupta is an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Akron, Akron, Ohio. He earned the Ph.D. degree in Materials Engineering from the Monash University, Australia and B.Tech. in Materials & Metallurgical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India. Prior to joining the University of Akron, he was a research fellow at the Monash University, and then a research academic at the Deakin University, Australia. Rajeev’s primary research interests lie in the broad areas of corrosion and material engineering. His research group focuses on understanding the structure/processing/property relationships in metallic materials, additively manufactured alloys, compositionally complex alloys, nanocrystalline alloys, electrodeposited coatings, and high temperature oxidation. The fundamental research is intended to be applied in developing new corrosion resistant alloys, life prediction programs, and advanced coatings. Research in Rajeev’s group is supported by the National Science Foundation, Office of Naval Research Lab, Department of Energy, Army Research lab, Department of Defense, and industries.