The aviation and power generation industries are constantly seeking to operate gas turbine engines at higher temperatures to improve their thermodynamic efficiencies and reduce CO2 emissions. Current metallic alloys used in gas turbines can only operate up to 1100°C. The drive for higher fuel efficiency of gas turbines for aircraft propulsion and electric power generation requires higher peak operation temperatures. The team will investigate a new class of alloys and coatings to operate under extreme conditions: refractory high entropy alloys (RHEAs) and high-entropy ceramics (HECs). Our new RHEAs and HECs will exhibit outstanding high-temperature strength and stability compared with existing materials.

          Equipment used by Canada’s mining and mineral industries often suffers from severe wear and erosion degradation during operation. The early failure of this machinery significantly reduces the service life of the equipment and increases the cost. There is an urgent need to improve the resistance of materials used in these critical components against wear, erosion, corrosion, and oxidation. We will investigate multi-principal metal matrix composites (MMCs) to achieve vast improvements in tools, moulds, and structural components. Our team will also perform tribology studies on 2D materials, such as graphene and MoS2, and develop 2D materials and metal composite solid lubricant coatings. We will guide the design of multifunctional composites that reduce fuel costs and equipment maintenance for the mining & mineral, automotive, and aerospace industries.

          SMRs are nuclear reactors aimed at new markets and developed to tackle the global need for safe, clean, economical energy. Compared with large conventional reactors, SMRs have reduced build costs and increased containment efficiency. Ontario, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, and Alberta recently signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on their development and deployment. Central to this research challenge are improvements in structural materials. Conventional reactors use water as a coolant, where SMRs use liquid metal, gas, and molten salt as coolants, which create harsher environments. Thus, the materials must be resistant to corrosion, oxidation, ion radiation, and hydrogen embrittlement. Recently, several new refractory alloys have shown excellent mechanical properties and microstructure stability, surpassing conventional alloys used in the nuclear industry. Our team will investigate typical nuclear structural materials in the working environments of SMRs and develop new alloys to radically improve long-term protection.

          SMRs are nuclear reactors aimed at new markets and developed to tackle the global need for safe, clean, economical energy. Compared with large conventional reactors, SMRs have reduced build costs and increased containment efficiency. Ontario, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, and Alberta recently signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on their development and deployment. Central to this research challenge are improvements in structural materials. Conventional reactors use water as a coolant, where SMRs use liquid metal, gas, and molten salt as coolants, which create harsher environments. Thus, the materials must be resistant to corrosion, oxidation, ion radiation, and hydrogen embrittlement. Recently, several new refractory alloys have shown excellent mechanical properties and microstructure stability, surpassing conventional alloys used in the nuclear industry. Our team will investigate typical nuclear structural materials in the working environments of SMRs and develop new alloys to radically improve long-term protection.

          Bioengineering innovations are needed to create both hard and soft materials compatible with the human body, where the materials experience wear, fretting, and complex loading in the tissue fluid. For instance, metallic femoral stem implants are much stiffer than human bone, causing lower flexibility and local stress concentration, leading to pain, reduced quality of life, and often revision surgeries. Our team will develop new joint implant materials with a gradient structure, aiming to reduce stress shielding, loosening, instability, and infection. Moreover, we will develop novel stretchable materials (e.g., ionic hydrogels and bottlebrush elastomers) with superior mechanical and electrical performance under ultra-large strains and low temperatures. These materials will be used to construct next-generation implants and bioelectronics for healthcare applications.