Researchers use various traditional techniques (e.g., scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and electron backscatter diffraction) to capture microstructural evolution in nuclear fuels and materials. However, these surface-based methods do not accurately capture the complex microstructure of the fuel. We utilize new tomography-based techniques on nuclear fuels which yield information on grains, fission products and porosity structure in 3D. This data can be used as input to new phase-field models to predict fuel performance in a reactor.
Faculty
Ph.D., 2012, Texas A&M University
Research Interests: Nuclear Fuels and Materials, with emphasis on characterization and property evaluation; Mechanical and Thermal properties of materials; Reactor Irradiation; Radiation damage in materials; Ion Implantation; Kinetics; Composites; Nanostructured materials; Multi-Scale simulation of nuclear fuel.
Lab Website: MAterials for Nuclear Advancement and Technology in Extreme Environments (MANATEE) Group
Education: Ph.D., 2017, University of California, Santa Barbara
Research Interests: energy storage materials, functional and electronic materials, lithium-ion batteries, structure-property relationships, X-ray diffraction, pair distribution function analysis, local structure, amorphous and disordered materials
Lab Website: Butala Research Group
Education: Ph.D., 1987, University of California-Berkeley
Research Interests: Electronic materials, semiconductor processing and characterization, ion implantation, transmission electron microscopy.
Lab Website: Swamp Group
Impact of Materials on Society (IMOS) is on Instagram!
Dr. Kevin S. Jones is a Distinguished Professor and holds the Fredrick N Rhines Chair in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) at UF.…
Ph.D., 2015, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Research Interests: Advanced electron microscopy techniques, Quantitative analysis of electron microscopy data, Digital image processing, Understanding materials properties at the atomic scale, Functional oxides and semiconductors
Lab Website: Kim Electron Microscopy Group
Education: Ph.D., 2016, University of California Santa Barbara
Research Interests: Fundamentals of Structural Evolution in Crystalline Materials, Advanced Electron Microscopy Techniques, Recovery and Recrystallization, Deformation Mechanisms and Texture Development
Lab Website: Metallic Orientation, aNisotropy, and microSTructure Engineering Research (MONSTER) Group
Ph.D., McGill University, 2017
Research Interests: Engineering Education; Material Characterization; Non-destructive Evaluation (Electromagnetic Measurements); Structure-Property Relationship; Micromagnetics
Ph.D., 2016,
Research Interests: High-temperature Materials; Metastability and Interface Engineering; Electron Microscopy; In-situ Microscopy; Microstructure Evolution; Deformation Behavior and Mechanical Performance in Extremes; Green Processing & Energy