Interfaces determine how materials perform. Grain boundaries and internal interfaces control strength, transport, and degradation in structural and energy materials - from nanometallic multilayers and high-temperature alloys to solid electrolytes for batteries.
We characterize these interfaces atom by atom. Combining aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, STEM-EELS and STEM-EDX spectroscopy, and in-situ deformation, heating, and biasing experiments at the Ernst Ruska-Centre, we link grain boundary structure and chemistry to macroscopic properties.
Nicolas J. Peter is a junior research group leader at the Institute of Energy Materials and Devices (IMD-1) of Forschungszentrum Jülich. He works on grain boundary structure and chemistry, small-scale mechanics, and in-situ electron microscopy of energy materials… more about me
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In the DFG-FWF Weave project SISTer (project number 544676970), we investigate mechanisms of segregation induced strengthening and toughening of ultrafine-grained tungsten alloys at elevated temperatures, together with the group of Daniel Kiener at Montanuniversität Leoben. In-situ TEM deformation and atomic-resolution grain boundary characterization… read more
Dickson Castelino successfully defended his Master thesis on the microstructure of the solid electrolyte Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3 (LATP) in May 2026. He continues in the group as a PhD student since June, working on 3D-printed preceramic polymers… read more
Follow the group on
LinkedInA micromechanical investigation of plasticity in ordered NbMoCrTiAl and disordered TaNbHfZrTi refractory compositionally complex alloys at room temperature
International Journal of Plasticity
2025Strengthening Mechanism of Al/Ni Multilayers with Negative Enthalpy of Mixing
Nano Letters
2025Magnetic and mechanical hardening of nano-lamellar magnets using thermo-magnetic fields
Nature Communications
All publicationsThe Leidenfrost motion of diluted water micro-droplets on hot flat substrates enables the growth of α-Ga2O3 thin films via mist chemical vapor deposition The incident probability, incident angle, lifetime, and gliding distance of the microdroplets at surface vicinity…
The Leidenfrost motion of diluted water micro-droplets on hot flat substrates enables the growth of α-Ga2O3 thin films via mist chemical vapor deposition The incident probability, incident angle, lifetime, and gliding distance of the microdroplets at surface vicinity…
