Angus Paul Wilkinson
Professor
School of Chemistry and Biochemistry
School of Materials Science and Engineering
Bio
Angus Paul Wilkinson is an internationally recognized expert in the design and characterization of low and negative thermal expansion oxides and fluorides. He is particularly known for the discovery of negative thermal expansion across a wide temperature range in ScF3 and for the subsequent development of a family of fluorides based on the ReO3 structure type.
Low thermal expansion materials provide dimensional stability during temperature changes and strong resistance to thermal shock, while negative thermal expansion materials can compensate for the normal expansion of other components. His group extensively uses non-ambient X-ray and neutron diffraction, including low-temperature, high-temperature, and high-pressure methods, along with total scattering techniques, to understand structure–property relationships in materials.
His recent research has expanded to include the synthesis and study of helium-containing solids such as He2CaZrF6 and HeScF3. This work has relevance to the nuclear power industry, where irradiation can produce embedded helium atoms that migrate, form bubbles, and contribute to component failure.
Honors & Awards
- Chair, International Union of Crystallography Commission on Powder Diffraction
- Scientific Advisory Board Member, International Symposium on Negative Thermal Expansion
- National Science Foundation CAREER Award, 1996
- Sigma Xi Award for Outstanding Research by a Junior Faculty Member, 1996