Current Projects

Brief descriptions of the current granted research projects are listed.

For more information please contact the PI.

Project granted by ISF 2023 (4 years project)

The interface between a functional alloy and the conductive alloy material is responsible for an enhanced electron scattering in devices. Microstructure plays a significant role in determining the contact resistance, especially due to the chemical and phase complexity of the internal interface and the associated microstructure evolution.

The project aims to study the microstructure evolution at the internal interfaces between functional-contact alloys, and investigate the related local electrical properties of the complex material system.

Microstructure-controlled contact resistivity between metallic contact and functional Heusler alloy

Segregation vs. Precipitation:
Local Electrical and Mechanical Properties

Project is part of a Max-Planck Partner group (5 years project)

The microstructure evolution of an alloy is dominantly affected by its chemistry and processing history. Usually alloying elements tend to accumulate on the grain boundaries (GBs) leading to either segregation or precipitation phenomena. In each case, the contaminated GBs should behave differently in means of microstructure evolution, electrical properties, and mechanical properties. Even more, different types of GBs behave differently.

Here we study and separate the impact of atomic segregation and precipitate formation on the microstructure evolution and the physical properties.

Project is funded by NOGA company (1 year project)

High-Conductivity High-Strength Aluminum Alloys

Alloying is essential to enhance the mechanical strength of metals. However it is accompanied with an increased electron scattering by defects induced by the alloying elements and their associated secondary phases, phase boundaries or other defects.

Aim of this project is to locally (on micrometer scale) investigate the contribution of individual defects' segments to the electrical resistivity, and correlate it with the local microstructure characteristics. As a result, multi-dimensional defect-design concepts will be constructed based on the localized physical understandings.