Materials & Radiation Effects Labs

NERS Faculty Labs

High Temperature Corrosion Laboratory

The High Temperature Corrosion Laboratory (HTCL) provides the capability to conduct corrosion, stress corrosion cracking and hydrogen embrittlement tests in high temperature aqueous environments and, in particular, simulated light water reactor environments.

Irradiated Materials Testing Laboratory

The Irradiated Materials Testing Laboratory provides the capability to conduct high temperature corrosion and stress corrosion cracking of neutron irradiated materials and to characterize the fracture surfaces after failure.

Metastable Materials Laboratory

In the Metastable Materials Laboratory, studies of the kinetics and thermodynamics of nanocrystalline and amorphous materials are conducted. The lab is equipped with facilities for x-ray diffraction, calorimetry, mechanical alloying and annealing of samples. Contact: Michael Atzmon.

Materials Preparation Laboratory

The Materials Preparation Laboratory provides facilities for the preparation and characterization of materials for materials research studies. The lab houses a grinding and polishing table for metallographic sample preparation, a tube furnace for annealing and heat treating, an electropolishing and etching system, a jet-electropolisher for making TEM disc samples, a slow speed cut-off wheel, a slurry drill and a microscope and camera for imaging sample surfaces. Contact: Gary Was.

Radiation Materials Science Research Group

The Radiation Materials Science Group is dedicated to understanding effect of irradiation on materials, with emphasis on material issues related to the nuclear power industry. Nuclear energy using water reactor systems remains a primary source for the world’s electric power generation. Environmentally induced materials problems cause a significant portion of nuclear power plant outage time and are of great economic and safety concern especially as the age of light water reactors gradually increases. There is a great driving force to understand the influence of irradiation on reactor materials and the mechanisms of materials degradation in nuclear power reactors. This is an important for extending lifetime of existing reactors and essential for the next generation of nuclear power reactors.

Radiation Effects & Radioactive Waste Management Group

The Radiation Effects & Radioactive Waste Management Group is a collaboration between nuclear engineers and earth scientists. The group’s research covers the effects of radiation on materials and nanomaterials, radioactive waste management, environmental mineralogy and electron microscopy.

Shared Facilities

Electron Microbeam Analysis Laboratory

The University of Michigan Electron Microbeam Analysis Laboratory (EMAL) is a university-wide user facility for the microstructural and microchemical characterization of materials. Being a user facility, EMAL is open to anyone in the University research community. The laboratory is also open to users from other universities and to users from local industry.

Michigan Ion Beam Laboratory

The Michigan Ion Beam Laboratory for Surface Modification and Analysis (MIBL) was completed in October of 1986. The laboratory was established for the purpose of advancing our understanding of ion-solid interactions by providing up-to-date equipment with unique and extensive facilities to support research at the cutting edge of science. Researchers from the University of Michigan as well as industry and other universities are encouraged to participate in this effort.