Title: Sustainable Electrified Ultrahigh-Temperature Manufacturing Towards Decarbonization

Abstract: Traditional industrial processes typically rely on fossil fuels to generate thermal energy for manufacturing, leading to significant CO2 emissions (>35 billion tons/year) that contribute to global warming. Electrified processes powered by renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, are becoming more cost-effective (30–50 $/MWh) and sustainable, holding great potential for manufacturing new materials.

In this presentation, I will discuss the use of sustainable electrified ultrahigh-temperature heating as an alternative to traditional fossil fuel-based manufacturing. This process achieves ultrahigh temperatures through Joule heating (up to 3000 K), with rapid heating and cooling rates (10^5 K/s), and high temporal and spatial resolution. These conditions are especially ideal for non-equilibrium syntheses, enabling the fabrication of materials in metastable states that are not accessible at equilibrium conditions. I will discuss the use of this disruptive electrified Joule heating platform for the design, synthesis, and manufacturing of a variety of advanced materials, including support-free high entropy alloy nanoparticles for applications in energy and catalysis. The process also allows for morphology control of nanoparticles during rapid heating, resulting in the synthesis of hollow high entropy alloy nanoparticles, which feature a high ratio of active sites per mass for catalysis. In addition to nanomanufacturing, I will also discuss the exploration of the electrified ultrahigh-temperature platform for the direct melt printing of bulk multi-principal elemental alloys towards metal additive manufacturing. This electrified ultrahigh-temperature platform is a promising tool for new materials research and development in emerging energy and environmental technologies.

Bio: Dr. Xizheng (Zoe) Wang is an Assistant Research Scientist in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park. She received her B.S. in Chemical Physics from the University of Science and Technology of China and her Ph.D. in Chemistry under the guidance of Prof. Michael R. Zachariah from the University of Maryland, College Park. During her doctoral studies, Dr. Wang focused on exploring the mechanisms behind the strong reactivity of oxidizers in energetic reactions using ultrafast and ultrahigh-temperature apparatus. After earning her Ph.D., she joined the research group of Prof. Liangbing Hu at the University of Maryland as a postdoctoral researcher. Her research focuses on electrified ultrahigh-temperature synthesis and manufacturing, ultrahigh-temperature metal additive manufacturing, and sustainable wood-based cellulose as alternatives to petroleum-based plastics.