BPS Physical Sciences PI Prof. Ken Kelton is published online in the Journal of Applied Physics on July 7, 2023. (S)
Physical Sciences principal investigator Professor Ken Kelton/Washington University of St. Louis published a review paper titled “A perspective on metallic liquids and glasses” in the Journal of Applied Physics (volume 134, Article number: 010902 (2023)).
Kelton is supported by a NASA Biological and Physical Sciences (BPS) grant to investigate the thermophysical properties of liquid materials with flight experiments on the International Space Station Electromagnetic Levitator (ISS-EML). These tools enable investigation of molten materials by levitating samples, allowing processing without reaction to a container. Dr. Kelton’s research is particularly focused on studying the structure and dynamics of metallic, glass-forming liquids. Here, he writes a review article titled “A perspective on metallic liquids and glasses,” in which he reviews the state of understanding in this area and details a number of unanswered questions.
Kelton’s work on the ISS-EML led to many topics in this review article. Liquid fragility (a property related to the glass transition temperature and the temperature dependence of viscosity) was measured by ISS-EML and was discussed as a useful but incomplete method to predict which liquids would form glasses. Much of the data to support this view did not exist before his flight experiments.
He further discussed the ISS-EML findings of a minimum electrical resistivity in metallic liquids, which has large implications in both the structure of liquids and in the need for a new theory describing metallic liquids. Furthermore, he reinforces the importance of containerless processing techniques like the ISS-EML and ESL, the experimental results of which underpin the majority of the article.
