Former Department Mittemeijer

Phase Transformations, Thermodynamics and Kinetics

Department Head:

Prof. Dr. Ir. Eric J. Mittemeijer

The department constituted a conjunction with the Institute for Materials Science of the University of Stuttgart; Mittemeijer occupied the first Chair of this institute and was its Managing Director.

The department's specific research field was Phase Transformations in solid materials. On the basis of cutting-edge experiments, the team strived to develop models of phase transformations in bulk and nanomaterials (thin films). These models did not only provide fundamental insight into nature, but were also applicable in practice in order to optimize material properties by controlling the material microstructure. The department excelled in the application of X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods, surface analytical methods (Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ellipsometry), and calorimetric and dilatometric methods. Also computer simulations of diffusion and phase transformations were an indispensable tool in the department’s work.