Mechanics for Material Design

Tiny materials that cannot be seen with the naked eye have recently been found to exhibit new material functions (high strength and ductility, unusual conductivity, high chemical reactivity, and special optical responsiveness). It defies conventional wisdom simply by being made smaller. However, these materials are difficult to produce and have not yet been widely adopted. In our laboratory, we have devised and are developing a new approach to “atom- and nano-scale material creation” that leverages “atomic diffusion,” a material transport phenomenon in the solid phase, to overcome the challenges of material creation at the nanoscale. By utilizing force fields, we have developed a technique to intentionally transport atoms, concentrate them at targeted locations, and grow metal nanowires in a bottom-up manner, akin to bamboo shoots. Additionally, we are exploring the interaction between electrons and atoms using in-situ electron microscopy and numerical calculation techniques, and developing methods to enhance the mechanical properties of metals and ceramics by manipulating crystal structures (grain size, orientation, dislocation density, etc.).