Hannah is a material scientist, with experience in thin film/coatings deposition, structural and properties characterisation, and equipment modifications. She is an ISO TC164 SC3 committee member with active involvement in standards activities, and a member and CSci of IoM3. She has published and contributed to more than 30 journal papers and reports.
Her background is developing and testing materials (i.e., SiC, MAX phase and Carbon-based materials) for advanced engineering. She received her PhD from the University of Manchester in 2012, on the topic of deposition and characterisation of TRISO fuel particle. She was awarded the Sir Richard Brook prize for the best ceramic PhD in the UK in 2013. Before joining NPL, she was at the University of Cambridge, as a research associate for 3 years studying molten salt to refine spent nuclear fuel.
Areas of interest
- Hannah’s current research interests focus on small scale mechanical testing and mechanical response in relation to microstructural properties. Her research includes:
- Instrumented indentation testing, modelling, and calibration, including effects of temperature, strain rates, and length-scale.
- Thin films and surfaces characterisation, via laser enhanced surface acoustic wave, electron microscopes and atomic force microscopy.
- Ceramic materials microstructural characterisation and mechanical testing.
Hannah is also interested in exploring and applying nanoindentation techniques to new areas, such as biomaterials and molecule crystals.
Email Hannah (Huixing) Zhang
Researchgate