Martha L. Mecartney, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science

University of California, Irvine

Speech Title:

Kapitza Resistance at Interfaces in Multiphase Ceramics

Abstract:

Technical ceramics often use multiple phases to obtain synergistic properties, and many designs require tailoring of thermal properties, either to enhance heat flow or to reduce thermal conductivity. Our research focuses on understanding how thermal conductivity in multiphase oxide systems is controlled not only by the thermal properties of each phase but also by the interfaces between phases. Grain boundaries impede phonon transport, a phenomenon known as Kapitza resistance, and for single-phase oxide materials, the thermal conductivity is not significantly affected unless the grain size is <100 nm (nanocrystalline). We show that for systems with dissimilar phases at interfaces (grain boundaries), the Kapitza resistance can be much higher than in single-phase systems and so the thermal conductivity is reduced at unexpectedly large grain sizes.

Bio:

Professor Mecartney holds a Metallurgical Engineering & Materials Science B.S. and a Classics B.A. from Case Western Reserve University, and a Materials Science & Engineering Ph.D. from Stanford University. She conducted post-doctoral research at the Max-Planck-Insititut in Stuttgart, Germany followed by an assistant professor position at the University of Minnesota in Chemical Engineering and Materials Science. She was recruited to UC Irvine as an Associate Professor in 1990. Professor Mecartney has received the Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering, the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Math, and Engineering Mentoring from the White House and was selected as Professor of the Year at UC Irvine. She has published over 100 articles on microstructural development in ceramics with an emphasis on how grain boundaries and interfaces affect properties. Her current research investigates grain boundaries and interfaces, water vapor assisted diffusion, and computational modeling, thermal properties, and radiation damage of multiphase ceramics.