MRS Bulletin

The key to market success for electric vehicles (EVs) has always been the energystorage device, which limits driving range and vehicle acceleration. In many respects, rechargeable lithium batteries are the most attractive technology for storing energy and delivering it on demand in an automobile. Past and ongoing efforts to develop electricbased automotive propulsion systems are chronicled in this article.

This article first provides a brief review of the status of the subfield of three-dimensional (3D) materials analyses that combine serial sectioning, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and finite element modeling (FEM) of materials microstructures, with emphasis on initial investigations and how they led to the current state of this research area. The discussions focus on studies of the mechanical properties of polycrystalline materials where 3D reconstructions of the microstructure—including crystallographic orientation information—are used as input into image-based 3D FEM simulations. The authors’ recent work on a β-stabilized Ti alloy is utilized for specific examples to illustrate the capabilities of these experimental and modeling techniques, the challenges and the solutions associated with these methods, and the types of results and analyses that can be obtained by the close integration of experiments and simulations.

In my Von Hippel Award talk, I emphasized my connection to Arthur von Hippel since our meeting in 1960, when Arthur von Hippel was 62 years of age, but still spanning the last 40 years of his life. He was a Renaissance man with many broad interests. I also spoke about the work that was cited in my award and our overlapping activities. Professor von Hippel was a mentor to me in my early career, and he worked to advance my career behind the scenes. Even after his passing a decade before my selection for the Von Hippel Award, I continue to be influenced by his teachings about science, as well as about his enjoyment of the practice of science and the life of a scientist. Professor von Hippel’s views on the foundations of materials research have strongly influenced the Materials Research Society, and this viewpoint is also emphasized in my article and by my own research career, which has been recognized by the Von Hippel Award.

The fundamentals and applications of ferroic materials—ferromagnetic, ferroelectric, and ferroelastic—are common subjects discussed in just about every graduate course related to functional materials. Looking beyond today’s traditional uses, such as in permanent magnets, capacitors, and shape-memory alloys, there are worthwhile and interesting questions common to the caloric properties of these ferroic materials. Can ferroic materials be used in a cooling cycle? Why are these materials susceptible to external fields? Which combination of properties is required to make some of them suitable for efficient cooling and heat pumping? We address these questions in this introduction to ferroic cooling, which comprises magnetocaloric, electrocaloric, elastocaloric and barocaloric approaches and combinations thereof (i.e., multicalorics). These are addressed in greater detail in the articles in this issue.