Solidification Nanoprocessing of Metallic Nanocomposites: From Nanoscience to Nanoproduction

Dr. Xiaochun Li
Raytheon Chair in Manufacturing,
Professor of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering,
University of California, Los Angeles, USA

Research  activities  on  nanoscience  and  nanotechnology  have  enjoyed  an  explosive growth  over  the  last  10  years,  while  the  transition  from  nanoscience  to  scale-up nanoprocessing  has  been  the  major  bottleneck  for  nanotechnology  to  realize  its tremendous  potential.  Incorporation  of  nanoelements  (e.g.  nanoparticles,  nanotubes, nanofibers, and nano-platelets) into various functional materials can obtain unusual physical, chemical, and mechanical properties. However, it is extremely difficult to realize scale-up nanocomposite processing. This talk will discuss about various scientific and technological aspects that are crucial for scalable nanocomposite processing. It will particularly focus on our research activities on Solidification Nanoprocessing, a novel scalable process, for fabrication of high performance metallic nanocomposites. Scientific issues related to dispersion, capture and self-assembly of nanoparticles in metal liquids (both miscible and immiscible) will be discussed to enable effective microstructure control  and strengthening.  Solidification  Nanoprocessing  promises  to  become  a transformational technology for economical production of lightweight high performance nanocomposites.