Materials Interfaces

About

I am YESP member Dr. Nicolas Peter and currently working as a junior research group leader in the institute Microstructure and Properties of Materials (IMD-1) led by Univ.-Prof. Dr. Ruth Schwaiger.

Nearly all materials we encounter in everyday life contain interfaces, which often play a pivotal role in determining their properties. A deep understanding of how these interfaces are structured at the nano- and atomic scale, and how they can be modified, enables precise manipulation of material properties and the creation of novel, custom-tailored materials.

Our research primarily employs advanced and in situ electron microscopy to directly observe and analyze interface-driven behaviors in materials under a variety of conditions - ranging from ambient environments to elevated temperatures, applied mechanical loads, electrical stimuli, reactive atmospheres, or combinations of these factors. We are particularly focused on grain boundaries, exploring their atomic structure, segregation behavior, and their influence on material properties and functionality. By utilizing thin films, we investigate phase boundaries in (multi)layered systems, creating combinatorial material libraries that span large compositional ranges for rapid and efficient material discovery. Additionally, we employ stereolithography-based 3D printing to design architectured materials, or metamaterials, enabling the development of multifunctional materials with unprecedented properties.

Research Topics

Grain boundaries
Multilayered thin films
Architectured, multifunctional materials
Rapid matrial discovery using combinatoric material libraries
In situ and advanced electron microscopy

To learn more about my research topics, you can watch the recording of my presentation at Science online+ (in German).

Contact

Nicolas Peter

IMD-1

Building 05.1 / Room 103

+49 2461/61-4425

E-Mail

Dr. Nicolas Peter at Science Online+: “Materials Research - Tiny Interfaces” (Recording in German)

As part of the Young Excellent Scientist Program (YESP), Dr. Nicolas Peter presented his research in the format Science online+.

Project Team

Peter Nellessen

PhD student Building 05.1 / Room 9

Zizhou Wang

Master student Building 05.1 / Room 7

Jianxiao Wang

Master student Building 05.1 / Room 9

Dickson Castellino

Master student Building 05.1 / Room 7

Alumni

Nico Precoma

Bachelor student (2022-2023) | now Industry

Alina Baumelt

Bachelor student (2024) | now Master student Universität zu Köln

News

Events

Publications

Russel, K., Killeen, C., Peter, N. J., Schwaiger, R., Trelewicz, J. R., & Hodge, A. (2024). Microstructure and thermal stability of crystalline/amorphous Fe/FeW nanomultilayers. Scripta Materialia, 242, 115962. DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2023.115962

Elmanzalawy, M., Innocenti, A., Peter, N. J., Passerini, S., Augustyn, V., & Fleischmann, S. (2023). Mechanistic understanding of microstructure formation during synthesis of metal oxide/carbon nanocomposites. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 11, 17125. DOI: 10.1039/D3TA01230A

Han, L., Maccari, F., Souza Filho, I. R., et al. (2022). A mechanically strong and ductile soft magnet with extremely low coercivity. Nature, 608(7921), 310–316. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04935-3

Peter, N. J., Duarte, M. J., Kirchlechner, C., Liebscher, C. H., & Dehm, G. (2021). Faceting diagram for Ag segregation induced nanofaceting at an asymmetric Cu tilt grain boundary. Acta Materialia, 214, 116960. DOI: 10.1016/j.actamat.2021.116960

Haines, M., Peter, N. J., Jägle, E., Raabe, D., & Babu, S. S. (2020). In-situ synthesis of oxides by reactive process atmospheres during L-PBF of stainless steel. Additive Manufacturing, 33, 101178. DOI: 10.1016/j.addma.2020.101178

Zhao, H., Huber, L., Lu, W., Peter, N. J., An, D., De Geuser, F., Ponge, D., Neugebauer, J., Gault, B., & Raabe, D. (2020). Interplay of chemistry and faceting at grain boundaries in a model Al-alloy. Physical Review Letters, 124, 106102. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.106102

Peter, N. J., Duarte, M. J., Liebscher, C. H., Uhlenwinkel, V., Jägle, E. A., & Dehm, G. (2020). Early stage phase separation of AlCoCr0.75Cu0.5FeNi high-entropy powder at the nanoscale. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 820, 153149. DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2019.153149

Peter, N. J., Frolov, T., Duarte, J., Hadian, R., Ophus, C., Liebscher, C. H., Kirchlechner, C., & Dehm, G. (2018). Segregation induced nano-faceting of an asymmetric tilt grain boundary in copper. Physical Review Letters, 121, 255502 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.255502

Zeiger, M., Ariyanto, T., Krüner, B., Peter, N. J., Fleischmann, S., Etzold, B. J. M., & Presser, V. (2016). Vanadium pentoxide/carbide-derived carbon core-shell hybrid particles for high performance electrochemical energy storage. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 4(48), 18899-18909. DOI: 10.1039/C6TA08900C

Last Modified: 16.12.2024

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