Topic: THE GLASSY STATE — Novel Properties and Applications Exploiting Non-Crystallinity
Abstract
The glassy state is familiar from silicates, but embraces all major chemistries of material. This presentation will focus on three types of glasses very distinct from silicates. (1) Metallic glasses are attracting intense research at present because their availability in bulk form (minimum dimension greater than 1 cm). Their unique properties will be described in the context of competing engineering materials. The basic science underlying their properties is still being elucidated, but recent progress will be outlined. Their applications are broad, and representative examples will be given. (2) Carbohydrate glasses are exploited in living systems to permit survival under extremes of dehydration or cold. There are applications in food storage and in medicine (including organ preservation and drug delivery). Some research on kinetics, showing parallels with other types of glass will be described. (3) Chalcogenide glasses are used by us daily in CD-R and CD-RW computer disks. Switching between glassy and crystalline states in phase-change thin films is exploited for data storage. Progress in applying similar technology for so-called "unified" computer memory (PC-RAM) and for new types of logic circuit ("cognitive computing") will be reviewed.
Professor Alan Lindsay Greer: Professor of Materials Science, Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy, University of Cambridge
Professor Lindsay Greer obtained a B.A. in Natural Sciences in 1976 and a Ph.D. in Metallurgy & Materials Science in 1979 from the University of Cambridge. He was a NATO Postdoctoral Fellow and then Assistant Professor of Applied Physics at Harvard University. Since 1984, he has been based at Cambridge, but he has held visiting positions at the Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble, the Centre d'Etudes Nucléaires de Grenoble, the Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai, and the Center for Materials Innovation, Washington University, St Louis. Lindsay edits Philosophical Magazine, a journal (founded 1798) devoted to the structure and properties of condensed matter. Among his research interests, a central theme has been solidification, with a focus on crystal nucleation. His research on grain refinement of aluminium alloys has been supported by London & Scandinavian Metallurgical Co Ltd, Alcan and Pechiney, and has gained the TMS Light Metals Award (1998), the TMS Cast Shop Technology Award (1999) and the Institute of Materials Cook-Ablett Award (2000). Lindsay has published 8 edited proceedings, 8 book chapters and approximately 300 papers.
Professor Lindsay Greer’s interest is in how materials change their structures. Understanding the mechanisms of these transformations is relevant not only for assessing the stability of materials, but also for developing new microstructures, properties and functionalities.
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