Project Info


“Cold Sintering”: Teaching New Rocks Old Tricks

Geoff Brennecka | gbrennec@mines.edu
Alexis Sitchler | astichler@mines.edu

For centuries, materials scientists have relied almost exclusively on thermal energy for processing engineered materials, completely ignoring the millennia over which natural geologic processes have been achieving many of the same outcomes with combinations of much more modest levels of temperature, pressure, and chemistry. Expanding the landscape of input energies beyond simply making a hotter furnace will open up opportunities for previously impossible material integration while dramatically reducing energy consumption and waste.

Similarly, geologists and geochemists often rely on collecting and analyzing natural samples to try to look backward in time to understand how the rock structure developed, and do not take advantage of expertise and knowledge in processes that generate desired structures within the disciplines of materials science.

This work falls directly at the intersection of two Mines strengths in geology and materials science. Success will include—and require—combining expertise from both areas and will ideally lead to impactful advances across both fields.

The two faculty members associated with this project are both very interested in expanding into this collaborative research area and will be directly involved. Neither has a dedicated graduate student working directly on this topic, but each has graduate students whose projects are close enough that they can serve as effective trainers and mentors for the MURF students.

For more information:
https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5094040
https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2017.262
https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201602489
https://doi.org/10.1111/jace.14554

 

Student Preparation


Qualifications

Basic understanding of introductory chemistry and an interest in open-ended questions.

Student is required to attend the basic lab safety training offered by Environmental Health and Safety at Mines.

Time Commitment

4 hours/week per student probably required to make meaningful progress, but results would increase non-linearly with additional effort.

Skills/Techniques Gained

Traditional powder processing of ceramics and associated measurement/characterization of engineered and geologic samples (e.g., particle size and density measurements, operation of furnaces, presses, mills, SEM, XRD, X-ray CT). For motivated/advanced student(s) the project can transition into parameterization of numerical models of reactive transport using the collected data and statistical analysis of characteristics engineered samples in the context of similar data collected from geologic samples.

Mentoring Plan

PhD students will do the majority of in-lab training; faculty members will do the majority of technical planning / discussions / analysis with the MURF students, ideally in regular (~semi-weekly) meetings of all involved parties.