Abstract:
Gaining precise control of microstructures in multiphase or composite materials is the Holy Grail of material synthesis. Even when a microstructure that is optimized for performance is determined, generating that microstructure with desired compositions poses a challenge that must be overcome in order to realize the optimal performance. Phase field models predict what phases form and how the resulting microstructures evolve in accordance with the materials thermodynamic and kinetic properties. The approach has proven useful in simulating and predicting the processes during synthesis and processing of materials, including solidification, deposition, decomposition, growth, and coarsening. This presentation will first cover the fundamental background of this approach. Results will be presented on self-organization via eutectic solidification for fabricating large-area optical metamaterials as well as solid-state synthesis, which exemplifies the complexity in the evolution of the systems arising from the interplay of thermodynamics, kinetics, and microstructures.