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Earle
Ryba
Professor
Emeritus, Metallurgy
122 Steidle
814-865-3760
ryba@matse.psu.edu |
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Biographical Sketch:
Professor
Ryba received his S.B. degree in chemistry from MIT in 1956 and
his Ph.D. in physical metallurgy from Iowa State University in
1960. He then joined the Department of Metallurgy at Penn State. He
has taught courses in powder and single crystal x–ray diffraction,
small angle x-ray scattering, crystallography, characterization
of materials, general aspects of materials, physical metallurgy,
physical properties of materials, and technical writing. He has
received awards for excellence and innovation in teaching. In
Fall 2006, he taught undergraduate and graduate courses in
crystallography and x-ray diffraction at Sun Yat-sen University
in China. Professor Ryba is an International Centre for Diffraction
Data Fellow, and has been an instructor for its prestigious
x-ray clinics for over 20 years. His research interests
include all types of x-ray diffraction studies, with emphasis
on the crystal structures, crystal chemistry and properties
of intermetallic compounds, including quasicrystals. |
Research
Interests:
• Phase
relations and heat treatment of Ti-Ru-Al alloys
•
Hydrogen
storage in intermetallic compounds
•
Structure of polymer/metal
interfaces
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Areas
of research:
1. Crystal structures, crystal
chemistry, and properties of intermetallic compounds. At
the present time. a large number of structure types for intermetallic
compounds are being examined to determine the range of applicability
of the Frank-Kasper view of topological close packing. The
objective of this activity is to determine what structures
exist, if any, and why, in which metal atom sizes preclude
tetrahedral coordination.
2. X-ray and
neutron diffraction and reflectivity studies of a variety of
materials. Two examples of past studies include cation site
occupancy and incommensurate ordering in strontium barium niobate
materials, and epitaxial growth of polyimide on single crystal
substrates. The calculation and measurement of x-ray
powder diffraction patterns of carbon nanotubes is a current
area of activity.
3. Structure
and adhesion at various interfaces, particularly polymer/metal. A
recently completed synchrotron radiation study examined the
substrate-induced growth of polymer crystallites at polyurethane
film/metal interfaces and established their role in the enhancement
of the film adhesion.
4. Hydrogen
storage in intermetallic compounds. The geometry of the
crystal structures of a number of hydrogen storage compounds
are currently being examined with respect to the sizes of the
hydrogen sites and the sizes of the windows in the coordination
polyhedra faces through which hydrogen move during diffusion. From
an understanding of size restrictions in current hydrogen storage
compounds, it should be possible to develop new materials with
better storage properties.
5. High temperature alloy development. Currently,
phase and crystallographic studies of heat treated Ti-Ru-Al
alloys are being carried out. |
Technologies
impacted by research:
• Hydrogen-fueled transportation
• Turbine engine materials
• High temperature alloys
• Adhesion |
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Journal
Articles and Publications:
1. Kim, Jangsoon; Ryba, Earle R.; Bai, Jianming. Effect
of the polyurethane crystalline interphase formed at an Al
surface
on water-vapor absorption. Journal of Applied Polymer Science
(2003), 89(5), 1417-1422.
2. Kim, Jangsoon; Ryba, Earle; Bai, Jianming. Grazing incidence
X-ray diffraction studies on the structures of polyurethane
films and their effects on adhesion to Al substrates. Polymer
(2003), 44(21), 6663-6674.
3. Kim, Jangsoon; Cho, Jaedong; Ryba, Earle; Bai, Jianming.
Interfacial structures of polyurethane thin films on various
substrate
materials. Polymer Journal (Tokyo, Japan) (2003), 35(12), 929-937.
4. Kim, J.; Ryba, E.; Miller, J. W.; Bai, J. Adhesion of
a rigid polyurethane foam to zinc phosphated steel. Journal
of Adhesion
Science and Technology (2003), 17(10), 1351-1368.
5. Kim, J.; Ryba, E. The effect of polyol OH number on
the bond strength of rigid polyurethane on an aluminum substrate.
Journal
of Adhesion Science and Technology (2001), 15(14), 1747-1762.
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