Complexity and Heterogeneity in Microstructure and Their Relation with Properties

Materials science is changing faster than ever and we are entering the era of atomic-scale materials design, where specific atomic neighbourhoods are sought in order to achieve new materials properties and behavior. Materials design at the atomic-scale poses extreme challenges and opportunities in synthesis, processing, characterisation and modelling. Nanoscale microstructuring, hybridisation, and nano-compositing are all opening new materials property space in both structural and functional behavior. But, are things converging or diverging? We welcome the research community to join us at the next Gordon Research Conference on Structural Nanomaterials to explore this and related questions.

The goal of this meeting will be to advance understanding on how complexity and nano-heterogeneity contribute, holistically, to strengthening, toughening and other properties of materials. The role of point defects, solute atom clusters, nanoscale second phase precipitates, interfaces, grain boundaries, confined phase transformations and their interdependencies will be explored. With a focus on microstructure and properties, the meeting will discuss the frontier issues around kinetics and stability, atomistic and nanoscale simulations, and advanced characterisation (in-situ/ex-situ). We particularly recognise that structural properties are often one component of what are multi-faceted materials design challenges, and so we also look to explore these issues in the context of both structural and functional behaviour. The sessions for this meeting are planned to bring forth discussion at the frontier of phenomenological theory and experimental findings in a wide range of materials. We welcome contributions from researchers working on the various contemporary topical classes of materials, and welcome particularly contributions that shed light on complexity and nano-heterogeneity.