Materials Characterization: Microstructure and Property Relationships

There is a direct correlation between the microscopic configuration of atoms and molecules and a material's macroscopic, or "visible," properties. Understanding how properties such as transparency or ductility are derived from the atomic structure of a substance enables researchers to manipulate microscopic structures to achieve desired large-scale properties. Faculty and students in Ohio State’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering make use of the department’s state-of-the-art testing and characterization equipment to perform research in the following areas:

• Computer simulation of microstructures and mathematical modeling
• Microstructural control for quality castings
• Structure and energy of interphase interfaces
• The role of interfaces in composites
• Structure and properties of grain boundaries
• Crystallization of glasses
• The role of microstructural heterogeneity in localized corrosion and environmental fracture
• Deformation mechanisms in high-temperature intermetallics