Project description
Decoding shape memory alloys under shock
Shape memory alloys (SMAs) are capable of radically altering their atomic architecture in response to external triggers. By shifting between structural phases, these materials can absorb massive amounts of energy or generate mechanical power, making them indispensable for the next generation of sustainable energy systems and deep-space hardware. However, our understanding of SMAs is limited. The ERC-funded MultiPhaseXtrM project aims to define this frontier by investigating SMAs within extreme dynamic environments. The project subjects these alloys to multiaxial impacts that reach pressures of up to 10 GPa within a few billionths of a second. It is a deep dive into the fundamental kinetics of how atoms rearrange themselves when pushed to their absolute limits.
Objective
Efficient power generation/absorption will remain a crucial aspect of disruptive technology in a society with rising energy demands for sustenance (e.g. power generation) to scientific curiosity (e.g. space exploration). Multi-functional shape memory alloys (SMAs) form the core of many such technological breakthroughs. The multi-functionality of SMAs originates from solid-solid phase transformations, i.e. changes in the atomic lattice structure, driven by local mechanical, thermal or magnetic fields. Project MultiPhaseXtrM identifies a radically different and unexplored regime for the operation of SMAs — large, multiaxial dynamic impact and shock stresses (up to 10 GPa) within short time scales (down to nanoseconds), referred to as “extreme dynamic environments”. Exploiting multi-physical coupling in SMAs under these extreme conditions could scale up their power conversion capabilities by orders of magnitude.
Two broad scientific questions form the core of Project MultiPhaseXtrM: (1) How do thermodynamic states evolve in SMAs under extreme dynamic environments and coupled thermal/magnetic fields? (2) How do these states drive the evolution of phase transformations at short time scales? Dynamic impact experiments and high-speed instrumentation, developed in house, will probe this multi-scale behavior in single-crystal SMAs under carefully-controlled strain rates and multi-axial stress states, while advancing experimental science towards resolving short length and time scales, simultaneously. Multi-scale data sets will be analysed within continuum theoretical frameworks to discover the kinetic laws for phase transformations across the range of multi-physical conditions explored. The impact of this program will extend beyond, from designing multi-ferroic SMAs with programmable multi-functionality under these extremes, to understanding the role of stress-induced phase transformations in dynamic material strength, material synthesis and extreme geological events.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-STG
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91128 PALAISEAU CEDEX
France
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