Project Info
Exploring the atomic structure of oxides glasses with Atom Probe Tomography
Brian Gorman | bgorman@mines.edu
Experimental quantification of structure – property relationships in glasses are frequently elusive, despite the occurrence of textbook diagrams illustrating glass atomic structure. This is primarily due to a lack of characterization techniques with the atomic scale spatial resolution and chemical sensitivities necessary to simultaneously determine both cation and anion spatial distributions. In this work, we will demonstrate how Atom Probe Tomography (APT) can be applied to the 3-D quantification of atomic distributions in oxide glasses and get us closer to these “textbook” experimental diagrams.
More Information
Grand Engineering Challenge: Engineer the tools of scientific discovery
Student Preparation
Qualifications
Background in materials science, physics, or chemistry. Experience working with hot glass is a plus. A curiosity about materials and a strong interest in exploration. The ability to turn a wrench is also helpful.
Time Commitment
8-10 hours/week
Skills/Techniques Gained
Experience with Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscopy, Focused Ion Beams, Electron Diffraction, Atom Probe Tomography, Mass Spectroscopy, 3-D visualization, MatLab, and processing – structure – property relationships in glasses
Mentoring Plan
The student will be directly supervised in the laboratory by Prof. Gorman, a postdoctoral researcher, and a graduate student.