Dallas R. Trinkle Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering Office: 202A Materials Science and Engineering Building Mail Address: Department of Materials Science and Engineering 1304 W. Green St. Urbana, IL 61801 Telephone: 217-244-6519 Fax: 217-333-2736 E-mail: dtrinkle@uiuc.edu Bio-sketch: MatSE faculty profile, curriculum vitae

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Description of research:

My group studies both defect properties in materials and chemical effects on mechanical properties of structural metals, such as plasticity, phase transformations, and solidification. Defects play a crucial role in material properties, and predicting defect properties at atomic length scales is a challenging area of computational research. Improving and controlling mechanical behavior of structural metals is key to improving energy efficiency through weight reduction (automotive and aerospace) or increasing operational temperatures (turbines for aerospace and energy production).

We use atomistic methods—electronic structure, tight-binding, classical potentials—coupled to larger length-scale models—continuum elasticity, statistical mechanics—to predict properties for real materials. We also work with and build approximate atomistic models that are computationally faster than electronic structure, to directly study longer length and time scales. Finally, we use and construct new techniques that extend the geometric limitations in electronic structure methods. These techniques find application across all areas of materials science: metals, semiconductors, ceramics, and even polymers.

Current projects include

• ultra-fast diffusion of small islands of copper on silver surfaces;
• new coupled electronic-ionic dynamics of heat transport at atomic length and time-scales for nanoscience applications;
• solute effects in aluminum and magnesium alloys for new lightweight applications;
• dislocation/interface interactions in Ni-based superalloys, Al alloys, and Ti alloys;
• prediction of molten alloy density for solidification defect formation in superalloys;
• advanced techniques for the generation of atomistic potentials.

Past highlights of my research come from structural metals and new alloys, such as

• The prediction of the atomistic-scale mechanism for a pressure-induced structural phase transformation in pure Ti.  Finding the mechanism requires a new method for searching for crystal transformation pathways.
• The calculation of solute and interstitial effects on the alpha to omega transformation in Ti.  This explained the role of as little as 1% oxygen in stopping the transformation in shock-loaded Ti.
• The first direct calculation of solute-dislocation interaction in Mo, to explain the 50-year old question of cause of solid-solution softening.

I am looking to hire motivated, interested Ph.D students. Previous computational science experience is not necessary. If you are a UIUC student, contact me if you're interested in joining my group.

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Selected papers:

D. R. Trinkle and C. Woodward, "The Chemistry of Deformation: How Solutes Soften Pure Metals," Science 310(5754), 1665-1667 (2005).

R. G. Hennig, D. R. Trinkle, J. Bouchet, S. G. Srinivasan, R. C. Albers, and J. W. Wilkins, "Impurities Block the Alpha to Omega Martensitic Transformation in Titanium," Nature Materials 4(2), 129-133 (2005).

D. R. Trinkle, R. G. Hennig, S. G. Srinivasan, D. M. Hatch, M. D. Jones, H. T. Stokes, R. C. Albers, and J. W. Wilkins, "A New Mechanism for the Alpha to Omega Martensitic Transformation in Pure Titanium," Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 025701 (2003).