THE STABILITY OF GLASS-FORMING ALLOYS: SIMULATION STUDIES. Many of the properties that make common glass so valuable as a material can also be achieved in amorphous metals. The 'trick' is to avoid crystallization as the molten state is cooled. Recently, novel combinations of metals have been found to slow down crystallization enough to produce stable amorphous alloys. Developing these new materials depends on an accurate atomic level understanding of how crystallization is frustrated in glass-fo ....THE STABILITY OF GLASS-FORMING ALLOYS: SIMULATION STUDIES. Many of the properties that make common glass so valuable as a material can also be achieved in amorphous metals. The 'trick' is to avoid crystallization as the molten state is cooled. Recently, novel combinations of metals have been found to slow down crystallization enough to produce stable amorphous alloys. Developing these new materials depends on an accurate atomic level understanding of how crystallization is frustrated in glass-forming alloys. This project's aim is to use computer simulations to provide the first microscopic picture of the atomic order that stabilzes the amorphous alloys with regards to both crystallization and mechanical stress.Read moreRead less
Understanding cohesive forces in nanosystems. This theory project will provide basic scientific and modelling/computational support for a number of emerging technologies such as clean energy, and advanced materials and textiles (both CSIRO research areas). Other possible application areas are assembly of arrays of nanotube-based mechanical or electronic devices (e.g. single electron transistor arrays for quantum computer readout), and medical imaging and drug delivery via nano-sized magnetic pa ....Understanding cohesive forces in nanosystems. This theory project will provide basic scientific and modelling/computational support for a number of emerging technologies such as clean energy, and advanced materials and textiles (both CSIRO research areas). Other possible application areas are assembly of arrays of nanotube-based mechanical or electronic devices (e.g. single electron transistor arrays for quantum computer readout), and medical imaging and drug delivery via nano-sized magnetic particles. This last application is a strong growth area worldwide, with several Australian groups already participating. The project will train postgraduate students and a postdoctoral researcher. It will connect Australian scientists with a European Network of Excellence.Read moreRead less