Project 3: Material Compounds from Composite Materials for Applications under Extreme Conditions

M.Sc. Nathalie Thor

Supervisors: Prof. Hans-Joachim Kleebe, Prof. Astrid Pundt

In order to be able to develop novel material compounds from composite materials, a profound understanding of the microstructure as well as the characterization of the present phases and the corresponding phase distribution is indispensable in addition to the synthesis route and the specific heat treatment of the different materials. It is essential to understand and being able to interpret the microstructural variations of the composite materials in detail. With the help of electron microscopic investigations (scanning electron microscopy, SEM; transmission electron microscopy, TEM), a fundamental understanding of the microstructures that have altered as a result of the thermal treatments will be achieved. Hereby, both the microstructure evolution and the chemical development of the composite materials of the investigated material systems play a decisive role. The main focus of this subproject is the characterization of bulk composites with changing chemical compositions under different heat treatments. Two material systems are investigated by electron microscopy: (i) polymer-derived ceramic nanocomposites and (ii) ultra-high temperature alloys. It is expected that the results on microstructure development obtained in this subproject will also be utilized as input data for further PhD projects from the Research Training Group.