Johnson's Research Prof. William L. Johnson Research Interests Professor Johnson's group does research on non-equilibrium and metastable materials. The group has developed composite materials which employ a metallic glass matrix to achieve unusual combinations of properties for structural engineering applications. Johnson's research group makes fundamental studies of materials far from equilibrium. This includes synthesis, processing, and characterization of such materials. Typical strengths and elastic limits for various materials.
Metallic glasses are unique.
Conventional metallic materials have a crystalline structure consisting of single crystal grains of varying size arranged in a microstructure. Such structures are produced by the nucleation and growth of crystalline phases from the molten alloy during solidification. Professor Johnson's group have developed multicomponent metal alloys which vitrify with the same ease as observed in silicate melts. A new class of engineering materials, BMG's offer an opportunity to revolutionize the field of structural materials with combinations of strength, ductility, toughness, and processability outside the envelope achievable using current technology. On the scientific side, the development of BMG alloys has made possible detailed fundmental studies of the undercooled liquid state and the glass transition in metallic systems.