Materials properties characterization in the most extreme environments

• Published in: MRS bulletin Vol. 47; no. 11; pp. 1128 - 1142
• Main Authors: Schreiber, Daniel K., Schwaiger, Ruth, Heilmaier, Martin, McCormack, Scott J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.11.2022; Springer Nature B.V; Cambridge University Press (CUP)
• Subjects: Applied and Technical Physics; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Energy Materials; Extreme environments; Material properties; Materials Engineering; Materials Science; Mechanical tests; Nanotechnology; Propulsion system design; Review Article; Space exploration; System effectiveness; Materials in extreme environments; Extreme chemical environments; Properties at extreme temperatures; Extreme mechanical testing
• ISSN: 0883-7694; 1938-1425
• DOI: 10.1557/s43577-022-00441-z

There is an ever-increasing need for material systems to operate in the most extreme environments encountered in space exploration, energy production, and propulsion systems. To effectively design materials to reliably operate in extreme environments, we need an array of tools to both sustain lab-scale extreme conditions and then probe the materials properties across a variety of length and time scales. Within this article, we examine the state-of-the-art experimental systems for testing materials under extreme environments and highlight the limitations of these approaches. We focus on three areas: (1) extreme temperatures, (2) extreme mechanical testing, and (3) chemically hostile environments. Within these areas, we identify six opportunities for instrument and technique development that are poised to dramatically impact the further understanding and development of next-generation materials for extreme environments. Graphical abstract