Ph.D. Position in Norway and Japan at NTNU

Highlights:

1. We primary seek candidates with a Master in Materials Science or Solid State Physics, motivated for experimental activities in the fields of aluminum alloys according to a BILAT project between Norway and Japan.
2. The purpose of the bilateral project, called ‘Norwegian-Japanese Al-Mg-Si Alloy Precipitation Project’, is as follows: ‘The primary objective is to identify impact of selected trace elements on precipitation and study vacancies in relation to trace elements in Al-Mg-Si alloys. This will be done in a bilateral Norwegian/Japanese research collaboration between Norway (Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) / SINTEF / Hydro Aluminum) and Japan (University of Toyama /Tokyo institute of Technology). Building up competence to understand these fundamental issues will be of general importance for the light metals community and can assist Hydro in increasing the quality and reduce the energy consumption in their future Aluminum products’.
3. The PhD project is called ‘Vacancies in aluminum alloys in a context of trace elements and recycling’. Here experiments and calculations will be used to focus on vacancies, how they bind with solute, their effects on diffusion, nucleation of precipitates, in special relation to the trace elements in 6xxx alloys. In this study we aim at detecting vacancies (indirectly or directly) preferably via solute-vacancy pairs. To study some features of the vacancies various advanced microscopy analytical techniques like scanning TEM (STEM), electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) may be used.
4. The more recent techniques Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy (PAS) / Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy (PALS) are probably most significant, because they are specially suited for the study of vacancies or pores in materials. Here one aim is to find the factors that make it possible to control the strength increase taking place at room temperature just after cooling from extrusion (prior to final ageing). This is believed to be driven solely by vacancies. Studying vacancies is a challenging task. However, with the use of several independent methods, the combination of the two projects, the previous experience in precipitation and precipitate structure for these alloys, and at last, the long industrial research with these materials, it is expected that new insights will be achieved.
5. Experience in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and other advanced characterization methods is useful. Depending on chosen topics and project needs, and the candidates’ background and qualifications, the position will be allocated either to the Materials Science or the Physics department in NTNU.