Prof. W Craig Carter

Professor Carter's current research is the application of theoretical and computational materials science to microstructural evolution and the relations between material properties and microstructure. Particular emphasis is placed on the physical analysis of complex processes when possible and the development of numerical algorithms and codes when microstructural simulation is required. His group develops the means to optimize material properties through fundamental understanding and scientific visualization of the relations between processing and properties.

His group is currently addressing the morphological stability of interfaces and structures in ceramics and ceramic composites, analysis of reactive wetting in soldering and joining processes, development of codes for the analysis of micrographic images and their associated material properties, statistical methods of robust failure prediction from experimental data, and behavior of anisotropic surfaces.

Primarily, Carter’s group is interested in developing insight into poorly understood phenomena and developing computational tools for the materials science community. Work influences the development of materials science in three ways:solving difficult problems, illustrating key materials phenomena, and the production of software. In the last three years, Carter and his collaborators have made significant research progress on micro-structural calculations of ferroelastic materials, the thermodynamics of interfacial structure and segregation, microstructural models of materials reliability. Studies have initiated and are made good progress on research on calculations of photonic structures, calculations of bone remodeling, space charge effects in ternary crystals, microstructural effects in battery behavior, heterogeneous nucleation in anisotropic systems, delamination mechanisms in thin film polycrystals.