Capability Overview
Ceramics are ubiquitous across all aspects of our lives, but they have special interest in energy and national security applications, which is where ORNL comes in with its historical expertise in synthesizing and testing ceramics.
The excellent temperature and corrosion resistance of ceramics make them uniquely suited for a variety of applications from nuclear and other types of energy generation, fuel cells, energy storage, magnets, transportation, and much more. Ceramics have challenges, however, including brittleness and difficult fabrication processes.
ORNL researchers are applying decades of expertise in ceramics to help increase understanding of these important materials and aid their deployment to meet national energy and security priorities. The ceramics program looks at physical properties, including microstructure and grain size, using a variety of characterization techniques such as neutron examination, spectroscopy, microscopy, and chemical analysis. Another area of inquiry is fabrication and synthesis techniques that can create more capable ceramics more efficiently and cost effectively.
One area of focus is solid-state batteries, which have potential to improve a large swath of our daily lives. ORNL is exploring synthesis and processing techniques that can create ceramic electrolytes and electrodes, even in thin films that can be used in roll-to-roll processing.
Ceramics Processing and Characterization Techniques
Additive manufacturing
Roll-to-roll
Slip, tape and gel casting
Film formation and coatings
Lamination
Screen printing
Stencil printing
Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and chemical vapor infiltration (CVI/FCVI)
Zeta potential, rheology, particle size and surface area
Contact
Beth Armstrong is a senior research staff member at ORNL, specializing in synthesis and fabrication of functional materials and coatings. She holds an M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from UCLA and a B.S. in Ceramic Engineering from the University of Illinois. Beth is a Fellow of ASM International and has been recognized for more than 30 years of contributions to non-vacuum materials processing. Her work encompasses battery development, sensor technology, and corrosion-resistant coatings. For more information on collaborations, contact Beth at [email protected].