The Annals of Exploratory Science
The purpose of the proposed study is to develop a theoretical and experimental methodology that will treat heat, momentum, mass and electromagnetic transport in three phase porous composite systems. The materials of interest are porous powders and ceramics of different ferrites (hard or soft), ferro- and piezoelectrics, high temperature superconducting ceramics. For example:
" 1) Magnetic materials: a) alloys of transition metals (Fe,Co) with rare-earth metals; b) alloys of transition metals (Fe,Co) with transition metals (Zr,Nb,Ta, etc.) and periodic patterns of different scale from these alloys.
" 2) Ferroelectric materials: a) complex perovskites from Zr-Pb and Ti-K-Bi, as well as Mg-Nb-Pb and Zr-Ti-Pb; b) nanocomposites of BaTiO3. Sintered materials from these ceramics will be saturated with still and moving polar or non-polar liquids, solutions, etc..
The scales procedure includes the following:
" 1) single crystal diffusion modeling in the solid phase of the medium;
" 2) three or more component ceramic composite solid phase modeling, including the interface medium, with a species diffusion model using non-local scaling methods;
" 3) heterogeneous and porous materials that have composite solid and void phase morphologies.
The treatment of the fundamentals of scale dependent properties is the goal of the suggested research. In order to simulate such processes, a multi-scale morphological modeling approach would be applied. The basics of such an approach have been developed.
The project results will have substantial influence on our understanding of multi-scaled thermal, diffusion and electrical phenomena in ferroelectric composites. A means for improving our ability to design and manufacture nanometer ceramic powders and ceramic processing, to do micro-structural design of ceramic sensors and composites, to predict thermo-mechanical, diffusive and electrical properties, to simulate nano-sized particle sintering as well as residual intergranular porosity and its effect on quality.
Since this 1990-2000 made proposal, which got misrepresentation in the review process, we have acquired the number of results related or directly communicated to the suggested in this proposal research plan. Will be uploading into this and neighboring sub-sections some of those data released for public domain for education and for advertisement.
02//2014: Well, after 14 years of waiting period - I was sure no one worker in the US could do this work. I was right.