Development and Advanced Manufacturing of Next-Generation Nuclear Energy Materials

with Eda Aydogan, Associate Professor
Nuclear Engineering program within Virginia Tech Mechanical Engineering

Friday, September 4, 10:10 am
440 Goodwin Hall, Blacksburg

Structural materials for next-generation fission and fusion energy systems must withstand extreme conditions that include high temperatures, complex mechanical loading, corrosive environments, and intense irradiation. Under such conditions, radiation-induced defects and microstructural instabilities can severely degrade mechanical performance and limit component lifetimes. Addressing these challenges requires materials design strategies in which alloy composition and manufacturing pathways are deliberately engineered to control microstructural features and defect evolution across multiple length scales.

In this seminar, a structure–processing–property framework for designing radiation-tolerant materials for extreme nuclear environments will be presented, with emphasis on oxide dispersion-strengthened alloys (ODS) and refractory compositionally complex alloys (RCCAs). Particular attention will be given to how processing-enabled microstructures and interfaces influence defect evolution, microstructural stability, and mechanical performance under irradiation. Experimental observations are coupled with modeling efforts to develop a mechanistic understanding of defect behavior and irradiation-driven microstructural evolution. Advanced processing and manufacturing approaches will also be discussed as tools for expanding the accessible microstructural and compositional design space. Emerging research directions in ODS alloys, refractory alloys, and functionally graded materials for next-generation fission and fusion systems will be highlighted.

Eda Aydogan is an Associate Professor in the Nuclear Engineering Program within the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech. She earned her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Texas A&M University and completed her postdoctoral research at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Prior to joining Virginia Tech, she held faculty positions at Middle East Technical University in Turkey, a visiting academic position at Sabanci University, and a scientist position at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Her research focuses on radiation effects in metallic materials, characterization of irradiation-induced defect structures, alloy design for extreme environments, and advanced processing routes, including additive manufacturing. Her work integrates materials design and processing with multiscale characterization and irradiation experiments to understand material behavior under extreme conditions and develop radiation-tolerant alloys for nuclear energy applications. She has led and contributed to research projects supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, international funding agencies, and national user facilities. Her honors include the Turkish Academy of Sciences Outstanding Young Scientist Award, the UNESCO–L’Oréal Regional Fellowship for Women in Science, and the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey International Fellowship for Outstanding Researchers.