Department of Materials Science and Engineering

• B.S., Materials Science and Engineering,University of Florida, 1989
• M.S., Metallurgical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1994
• Ph.D., Metallurgy, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1996

• Associate Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering
  Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, 2005-present.
• Scientist, Materials & Engineering Physics Program
  Ames Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy Ames, Iowa, 1998-2005
• Assistant Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering
  Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, 2000-2005.
• Associate Scientist and Solidification Science Coordinator, Materials & Engineering Physics Program
  Ames Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy Ames, Iowa, 1998-2005
• NRC Postdoctoral Fellow, Metallurgy Division, Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory
  National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 1997-1998.

• Alloy solidification dynamics and microstructures
• Crystal-melt interfacial phenomena
• Microstructural modeling and simulation
• Casting simulation and microstructure prediction
• Multicomponent thermodynamics and diffusion
• Rapid solidification and metallic glass formation
• Bulk metallic glass and devitrification

Ralph Napolitano's research group is focused on understanding the dynamic processes of morphological evolution during solid-liquid phase transformations in terms of the fundamental thermodynamic and kinetic properties of the crystal-melt interface and its local response to thermal, solutal, and structural fluctuations. Efforts involve experimental and theoretical investigations of crystal-melt interfaces under equilibrium, near equilibrium, and far from equilibrium conditions. Thermodynamic and kinetic properties that ultimately govern the dynamics of morphological transitions are investigated over all relevant length and time scales.

Link to Research Group Page

• MatE 214 - Structural Characterization of Materials
• MatE 312 - Thermodynamics in Materials Engineering
• MatE 341 - Metals Processing
• MatE 443 - Physical Metallurgy of Ferrous Alloys
• MSE 590 - Special Topics in Solidification Science
• MSE 590 - Alloy Solidification and Casting Technology
• MSE 603 - Advanced Mathematics for Materials Science

• S. H. Zhou and R. E. Napolitano, Phase stability for the Cu-Zr system: First principles, experiments, and solution-based modeling, Acta Mater. (accepted, in-press) 2009. [doi: 10.1016/j.actamat.2009.12.004]

• T. Hosch, L.G. England, and R.E. Napolitano, Analysis of the high growth-rate transition in Al-Si eutectic solidification, J. Mat. Sci. 44 (2009) 4892-4899. [doi:10.1007/s10853-009-3747-6]

• S. H. Zhou and R. E. Napolitano, Solution-based thermodynamic modeling of the Ni-Ta and Ni-Mo-Ta systems using first principles calculations, Calphad 33 (2009) 631-641. [doi:10.1016/j.calphad.2009.06.006 ]

• M.D. Asta, C. Beckermann, A. Karma, W. Kurz, R. Napolitano, M. Plapp, G. Purdy, M. Rappaz, R. Trivedi, “Solidification microstructures and solid-state parallels: Recent developments, future directions”, Acta Mater. 57 (2009) 941-971. [doi: 10.1016/j.actamat.2008.10.020]

• Melis Serefoglu and R.E. Napolitano , “Onset of rod eutectic morphology in directional solidification” J. Cast Met. Res. 22 (2009) 228-231. [doi:10.1179/136404609X367795]

• S. H. Zhou and R. E. Napolitano, Energetics of nonequilibrium solidification in Al-Sm, Phys. Rev. B 78 (2008) 184111. [doi: 10.1103/PhysRevB.78.184111]

• S. H. Zhou and R. E. Napolitano, “Identification of the B33 martensite phase in Cu-Zr using first-principles and X-ray diffraction”, Scripta Materialia 59 (2008) 1143-1146. [doi: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2008.07.040]

• Melis Serefoglu and R.E. Napolitano, “On the selection of rod-type eutectic morphologies: Geometrical constraint and array orientation”, Acta Materialia 56 (2008) 3862-3873. [doi:10.1016/j.actamat.2008.02.050]

• S.H. Zhou and R.E. Napolitano, “Modeling of thermodynamic properties and phase equilibria for the Al-Sm binary system”, Met .Mat. Trans. A 39 (2008) 502-512. [doi: 10.1007/s11661-007-9445-6]

• S.H. Zhou and R.E. Napolitano, “The stability of Al11Sm3 compounds, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A 38 (2007) 1145-1151. [doi: 10.1007/s11661-007-9148-z]

• Y.E. Kalay, L.S. Chumbley, I.E. Anderson, R.E. Napolitano, “Characterization of Hypereutectic Al-Si powders solidified under far from equilibrium conditions”, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A 38 (2007) 1452-1457. [doi: 10.1007/s11661-007-9168-8]

• S.H. Zhou and R.E. Napolitano, “Thermodynamic treatment of undercooled Cu-Mg liquid and the limits for partitionless crystallization”, J. Phase Equil. Diff. 28/4 (2007) 328-334. [doi: 10.1007/s11669-007-9083-0]

• S. Zhou, Y. Wang, F.G. Shi, F. Sommer, L.Q. Chen, Z.K. Liu, and R.E. Napolitano, “Modeling of thermodynamic properties and phase equilibria for the Cu-Mg binary system”, J. Phase Equil. Diff. 28/2 (2007) 158-166. [doi: 10.1007/s11669-007-9022-0]

• M.J. Kramer, H. Meco, K.W. Dennis, E. Vargonova, R.W. McCallum, and R.E. Napolitano, “Rapid solidification and metallic glass formation – Experimental and theoretical limits”, J. Noncrystalline Solids 353 (2007) 3633-3639. [doi: 10.1016/j.jnoncrysol.2007.05.172]

• H. Meco and R.E. Napolitano, “Non-equilibrium solute partitioning and microstructure formation in rapidly solidified Al-Sm alloys”, Mat. Sci. Forum 539-543 (2007) 2810-2815.

MORE - Link to Research Group Page

• R.E. Napolitano and Melis Serefoglu, Early stage dynamics in rod-type eutectic solidification, Department Seminar, DLR, Cologne, Germany, August 18, 2009.
• R.E. Napolitano, Current challenges and potential application of high-speed X-ray imaging to the investigation of solidification and crystallization dynamics, High-speed Imaging Opportunities with X-rays, APS Users Week, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, May 6, 2009.
• R.E. Napolitano and S.H. Zhou, Phase equilibria and selection in Al-Sm binary alloys, Symposium on Fundamentals of Phase Equilibria, Diffusion, and Kinetics, MS&T-2008, Pittsburgh, PA, October 8, 2008.
• R.E. Napolitano and M. Serefoglu, Early stage dynamics in rod-type eutectic solidification, International Conference on Casting and Solidification Processing, Seggau, Austria, July 2008.
• R.E. Napolitano, Faceted bicrystalline twinned dendrites in Al-Si alloys: Principles of morphological selection : Department Seminar, Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, April 9, 2008.
• R.E. Napolitano, S. Liu, R. Trivedi, Dynamics of microstructural selection during alloy solidification, DOE Meeting on Synthesis & Processing, Baltimore, MD, 2007.
• R.E. Napolitano, H. Meco, C. Jung, E. Simsek, Y. Natsumi, Mechanistic and morphological selection during low-velocity faceted growth in near-eutectic Al-Si alloys, TMS Annual Meeting, Orlando, Florida, 2007.

• Alan and Julie Renken Professorship in Materials Science and Engineering, Iowa State University, MSE Department, 2009
• Department of Materials Science, Excellence in Teaching Award Iowa State University, MSE Department, 2009
• Iowa State University Young Engineering Faculty Research Award, ISU College of Engineering, 2006
• Department of Materials Science, Excellence in Research Award, Iowa State University, MSE Department, 2004
• Council of Outstanding Young Engineering Alumni, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2000
• NRC Postdoctoral Fellowship National Research Council, 1996
• Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award Sigma Xi, Scientific Research Society, Georgia Tech Chapter, 1996
• Student Leadership Scholarship for International Study
• SAIC Paper Competition Winner Science Applications International Corporation, 1995
• ASM Leadership Award ASM International, Atlanta Chapter, 1995
• NSF Traineeship for Composites Research National Science Foundation, 1994
• TMS Symposium on Superalloys Scholarship The Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society, 1994
• Inducted into the Alpha Sigma Mu Honorary MSE Fraternity The Georgia Tech Chapter of Alpha Sigma Mu, 1993
• Grodsky Scholarship, University of Florida, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 1989

• Jeong Yun Choi, Current Ph.D. Student
• Ilkay Kalay, Current Ph.D. Student
• Tim Hosch, Current Ph.D. Student
• Zach Royer, Current Ph.D. Student
• Paul Matlage, Current M.S. Student
• Melis Serefoglu, Earned Ph.D., 2009
• Choonho Jung, Earned Ph.D. 2006
• Bryce Rustwick, Earned M.S. 2005
• Halim Meco, Earned Ph.D., 2004
• Luke England, Earned M.S. 2004
• Melissa Buechler, Earned M.S., 2002

Research Group Website