What does the Physics and Chemistry of Solids group do?
Our research group is primarily focused on solving real-world problems arising from an incomplete physical understanding of the response of materials to dynamic stimuli. We have a wide range of interests including both reactive and inert materials; materials which may be brittle (e.g. diamond), plastic (e.g. metals) or viscoelastic (polymers); materials that are solids or fluids, or in-between (granular beds). We are interested in the processes that occur when materials are subjected to extreme conditions (pressure, temperature) and are taken beyond the limits of their endurance (yield, fracture, decohesion).
Typically, the materials and conditions we wish to study are not readily accessible using off-the-shelf equipment. A large fraction of our effort is devoted to developing novel instrumentation and diagnostic techniques to elucidate the physics of the subjects described above
Our exhibit will focus on demonstrating the techniques that we use to study materials, in particular making measurements at high speed.