Katsuyo Thornton - Phase-Field Modeling of Microstructural Evolution Resulting from Corrosion
Presenter
September 19, 2025
Abstract
Recorded 19 September 2025. Katsuyo Thornton of the University of Michigan presents "Phase-Field Modeling of Microstructural Evolution Resulting from Corrosion" at IPAM's Embracing Stochasticity in Electrochemical Modeling Workshop.
Abstract: Understanding and predicting the microstructural changes that occur during and following corrosion is critical for designing materials with improved durability and performance across a range of engineering applications. Phase-field modeling has emerged as a powerful computational approach for simulating the complex morphological and compositional evolution that materials undergo in corrosive environments. In this talk, I will describe phase-field modeling of microstructural evolution of magnesium and its alloys in aqueous environment, as well as a nickel-chromium alloy in molten salt environment. These models incorporate key phenomena, including bulk and interfacial thermodynamics, multi-phase/polycrystalline microstructures, and diffusion and reaction kinetics. Selected simulation results will demonstrate the ability of phase-field models to bridge length scales from nanoscale phenomena leading to corrosion to formation to microstructure evolution that are responsible for material degradation. The insights gained from phase-field simulations provide valuable guidance for interpreting experimental observations. The integration of phase-field methods with three-dimensional experimental data will be discussed as a promising path toward predictive, mechanistic understanding of corrosion processes.
Learn more online at: https://www.ipam.ucla.edu/programs/workshops/workshop-i-embracing-stochasticity-in-electrochemical-modeling/?tab=overview