{"689358":{"#nid":"689358","#data":{"type":"event","title":"PhD Proposal by Sean Li","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESean Li\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAdvisors: Prof. Preet M. Singh, Prof. Chaitanya S. Deo\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cem\u003Ewill propose a doctoral thesis entitled:\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHigh-Temperature Oxidation Behavior of Zr-Nb Binary Alloys in Air and Steam-Containing Environments.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cem\u003EOn\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EWednesday, April 8th at 02:00 p.m.\u003Cbr\u003ELove 295\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003Eand\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;Virtually via\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/teams.microsoft.com\/meet\/2556594914946?p=beXUDwR6sVW7XbpZwd\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022https:\/\/teams.microsoft.com\/meet\/2556594914946?p=beXUDwR6sVW7XbpZwd\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/teams.microsoft.com\/meet\/2556594914946?p=beXUDwR6sVW7XbpZwd\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECommittee\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;Prof. Preet Singh \u2013 School of Materials Science and Engineering (advisor)\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;Prof. Chaitanya Deo\u2013 School of Mechanical Engineering (advisor)\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;Prof. Hamid Garmestani \u2013 School of Materials Science and Engineering\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProf. Rick Neu \u2013 School of Mechanical Engineering\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Prof. Yifeng Che \u2013 School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Remi Dingreville \u2013 Sandia National Laboratories\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbstract\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;Zirconium-based alloys are widely utilized in nuclear and high-temperature industrial applications due to their excellent corrosion resistance and mechanical strength. However, their long-term performance in oxidizing environments is strongly influenced by the type of oxide scale formed at the surface. While it is known that the addition of niobium (Nb) significantly affects the oxidation kinetics and oxide morphology of Zr alloys, the influence of Nb concentrations above 5 at.% on these mechanisms remains poorly understood. The transition in oxide chemistry\u2014from highly protective Zr-rich oxides (such as ZrO\u2082) to potentially rapid-oxidizing Nb-rich oxides (such as Nb\u2082O\u2085)\u2014creates complex kinetic behaviors depending on the environment. The problem presented here is to systematically determine how varying Nb concentrations dictate the oxidation kinetics and scale protectiveness of Zr-Nb binary alloys when exposed to both air and steam-containing environments.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002 This study aims to quantitatively compare and elucidate the oxidation mechanisms of Zr-Nb alloys across a full compositional range at elevated temperatures (300\u2013500 \u00b0C). To accomplish this goal, several objectives must be met. First, characterizing the initial microstructure and phases of the as-formed, arc-melted alloys. Next, determining the oxidation kinetics, rate constants, and activation energies through long-term thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) in both air and steam-containing environments. Then, characterizing the resulting oxide scale structure, phase composition, and elemental distribution using post-oxidation analytical techniques such as XRD and SEM\/EDS. Finally, correlating these experimental findings with thermodynamic predictions to propose a comprehensive oxidation mechanism for the entire range of Zr-Nb binary alloys. These goals, if met, will bridge the knowledge gap between fundamental reaction kinetics and applied material performance, providing mechanistic insights applicable to the design of advanced nuclear cladding and oxidation-resistant materials.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHigh-Temperature Oxidation Behavior of Zr-Nb Binary Alloys in Air and Steam-Containing Environments\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"High-Temperature Oxidation Behavior of Zr-Nb Binary Alloys in Air and Steam-Containing Environments"}],"uid":"27707","created_gmt":"2026-04-01 18:37:02","changed_gmt":"2026-04-01 18:37:02","author":"Tatianna Richardson","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2026-04-08T14:00:00-04:00","event_time_end":"2026-04-08T16:00:00-04:00","event_time_end_last":"2026-04-08T16:00:00-04:00","gmt_time_start":"2026-04-08 18:00:00","gmt_time_end":"2026-04-08 20:00:00","gmt_time_end_last":"2026-04-08 20:00:00","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"location":"Love 295 and   Virtually ","extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"221981","name":"Graduate Studies"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"102851","name":"Phd proposal"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"1788","name":"Other\/Miscellaneous"}],"invited_audience":[{"id":"78771","name":"Public"}],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}