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Gary L.
Messing
Head,
Department of Materials
Science and Engineering,
Distinguished Professor of Ceramic Science and Engineering
121 Steidle Bldg.
814-865-2262
messing@matse.psu.edu |
Gary
Messing's group website>> |
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Biographical
Sketch:
Dr. Messing received his B.S. in Ceramic Engineering at Alfred
University in 1973, and spent a semester at the Friedrich Alexander
University in Erlangen, Germany. He received his Ph.D.
in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Florida
in 1977 and joined Penn State in 1980. Messing was Founding
Director of the NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research
Center on Particulate Materials in 1991 and became Director
of the Materials Research Laboratory in 1997. He was
Visiting Professor at the University of Paris, Research Fellow
at Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Australia, and visiting
faculty at ETH-Zurich. Messing is Distinguished Professor
of Ceramic Science and Engineering and Head of the Department
of Materials Science and Engineering. In 2002/3
he was President of the American Ceramic Society. Messing
has published over 250 papers and co-edited 13 books on solution
synthesis, phase transformations, processing-microstructure
relations, sintering and templated grain growth. |
Research
Interests:
• Solution
synthesis of powders and films
• Seeding phase formation
• Sintering
• Grain Growth
• Templated Grain
Growth
• Optical materials
•
Ferroelectric materials |
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Areas
of research:
Processing and Sintering of Advanced Ceramics:
• Nanocrystalline
powders and microstructures
• Powder synthesis and phase transformations
• Low temperature sintering
• Thermomechanical behavior during
sintering
• Templated grain growth
of single crystals
The Messing group
is currently focused on developing processes for producing
optically transparent ceramics (e.g. Nd-doped YAG), high
performance piezoelectrics, and solid state grown single
crystals. The strategy is
to control sintering and grain growth processes by first establishing
a fundamental understanding of how powder synthesis, ceramic
phase formation, and powder shaping influence the achievement
of specific microstructure-property objectives.
We are expert in powder synthesis by spray pyrolysis and phase
formation from solution precursors. It has been shown that phase separation in sol gel
and precursor system formation plays a major role on phase formation during heating
in the alumina, mullite, and lead magnesium niobate systems. In
some cases we have developed successful strategies to induce
and control phase development and transformation by solid state
seeding.
We have also carried out extensive studies on the sintering
of alumina, mullite, and PMN-PT. In a series of papers we reported how stresses evolve in co-sintered
SOFCs and LTCCs. As a result of these studies cyclic
loading dilatometry (CLD) has been established as a reliable
tool for measuring the viscosity of sintering systems.
In the late 90s we developed a novel templated grain growth
(TGG) process to obtain oriented microstructures of unprecedented
control. In this process
we align or position template particles that act as preferred growth sites. Uniquely
textured ceramics have been produced by TGG. The properties of texured
PMN-PT approach those of single crystals. We use a similar strategy to
grow single crystals of PMN-PT, YAG, and BaTiO3 from a dense ceramics by the
solid state conversion process. Some of the materials
we have studied include mullite, alumina, barium titanate,
lead magnesium niobate, strontium barium niobate, sodium bismuth
titanate, and yttrium aluminum garnet. |
Technologies
impacted by research:
Powder synthesis and sintering impact technologies
requiring phase pure and submicron powders. The
microstructure effort has direct impact on ceramics
in which specific orientations or single crystals are
desired and include piezoelectric, structural and optical
properties. Materials studied include mullite, alumina,
barium titanate, lead magnesium niobate, and strontium
barium niobate. |
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Journal
Articles and Publications:
1. P. W. Rehrig, S-E. Park, S. Trolier-McKinstry,
G. L. Messing, B. Jones, and T. R. Shrout, “Piezoelectric Properties
of Zirconium-doped Barium Titanate Single Crystals Grown by
Templated Grain Growth,” J. Appl. Phys. 86(3):1657-1661
(1999).
2. M. M. Seabaugh, E. Suvaci, and G. L. Messing, “Modeling
Anisotropic Single Crystal Growth Kinetics in Liquid Phase
Sintered ?-Al2O3,” J. Interface Science 8 257-267, 2000.
3. E. M. Sabolsky, S. Trolier-McKinstry, and G. L. Messing, "Dielectric
and Piezoelectric Properties of <001> Fiber-Textured
0.675 Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.325 PbTiO3 Ceramics," J. App.
Phys. 93 (7) 4072-4080, April 1, 2003.
4. A. Mohanram, G. L. Messing and D. J. Green, "Measurement
of Viscosity of Densifying Glass-based Systems by Isothermal
Cyclic Loading Dilatometry," J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 87 (2)
192-96 (2004).
5. G. L. Messing, S. Trolier-McKinstry,E.M. Sabolsky, C. Duran,
S. Kwon B. Brahmaroutu, P. Park, H. Yilmaz, P.W. Rehrig, K.
B. Eitel, E. Suvaci, M. Seabaugh and S. Trolier-McKinstry K.
S. Oh, “Templated Grain Growth of Textured Piezoelectric
Ceramics,” Critical Reviews in Solid State and Materials
Sciences, 29:45-96 (2004).
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