{"692908":{"#nid":"692908","#data":{"type":"event","title":"PhD Proposal by Isabella Stepanek","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIsabella Stepanek\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EAdvisor: Prof. Eric Vogel\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cem\u003Ewill propose a doctoral thesis entitled\u003C\/em\u003E,\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELow temperature synthesis of MAX-phase Ti2AlC coatings and their performance as hydrogen isotope permeation barriers for fusion technologies\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cem\u003EOn\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EMonday, October 12 at 12 p.m.\u003Cbr\u003EPettit\u0026nbsp;Microelectronics Building\u0026nbsp;Room 102A\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003Eand\/or\u0026nbsp;virtually via\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/teams.microsoft.com\/meet\/263376518936170?p=j6inS9c8ubYnh2WXhX\u0022 title=\u0022https:\/\/teams.microsoft.com\/meet\/263376518936170?p=j6inS9c8ubYnh2WXhX\u0022\u003EMS Teams\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbstract\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERealizing practical fusion energy requires materials that can withstand simultaneous neutron irradiation, thermal cycling, and corrosive molten salts without degrading. Conventional barriers such as Al2O3\u0026nbsp;achieve high reduction factors in laboratory conditions but degrade irreversibly under neutron irradiation and thermal cycling. This work exploits the unique defect tolerance and self-healing behavior of the nanolaminated MAX-phases, specifically Ti2AlC, to address the hydrogen isotope permeation control problem in fusion blanket design.\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003EAim 1 establishes a simplified bilayer synthesis approach combining an aluminum precursor layer with a TiAlC layer, enabling Ti2AlC formation at 650 \u00b0C through controlled Al diffusion, reducing the temperature requirements of conventional synthesis while eliminating the per-layer calibration challenges of prior methods.\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003EAim 2 adapts this route to Grade 91 steel, a fusion-relevant structural substrate, and provides the first quantified permeation reduction factors for Ti2AlC-containing coatings through gas-driven deuterium permeation experiments, demonstrating one order of magnitude reduction in hydrogen isotope flux.\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003EAim 3 evaluates barrier durability by measuring coating performance and structure before and after heavy-ion irradiation and molten salt exposure, establishing whether the predicted radiation tolerance and corrosion stability of MAX-phases hold in thin-film form under fusion-relevant conditions.\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003ETogether, these efforts validate a pathway for engineering MAX-phase permeation barriers on structural materials within realistic fusion reactor thermal budgets.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECommittee\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022efaeac4330e42fe5f128d6cdaa1378e84\u0022\u003EProf. Eric Vogel \u2014 School of Materials Science and Engineering (advisor)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022e56e3ad2c48be91a583f33ba3b14d066f\u0022\u003EDr. Dale Hitchcock \u2014\u0026nbsp;Savannah River National Laboratory\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022e4bc2403475805069113705ba881052e5\u0022\u003EProf. Preet Singh \u2014 School of Materials Science and Engineering\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022e057b96186fed0e4e083185f1873bc31e\u0022\u003EProf. Mark Losego \u2014 School of Materials Science and Engineering\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022e0e3c262c8c323c4e6cb7e1fb53bbd01c\u0022\u003EProf. Chaitanya Deo \u2014\u0026nbsp;School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELow temperature synthesis of MAX-phase Ti2AlC coatings and their performance as hydrogen isotope permeation barriers for fusion technologies\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Low temperature synthesis of MAX-phase Ti2AlC coatings and their performance as hydrogen isotope permeation barriers for fusion technologies"}],"uid":"27707","created_gmt":"2026-09-29 15:56:15","changed_gmt":"2026-09-29 15:56:47","author":"Tatianna Richardson","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2026-10-12T12:00:00-04:00","event_time_end":"2026-10-12T14:00:00-04:00","event_time_end_last":"2026-10-12T14:00:00-04:00","gmt_time_start":"2026-10-12 16:00:00","gmt_time_end":"2026-10-12 18:00:00","gmt_time_end_last":"2026-10-12 18:00:00","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"location":"Pettit Microelectronics Building Room 102A and\/or virtually via MS Teams  ","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":""}}}