Dr. Calin D. Marioara, Researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Industrial Science (SINTEF), Visits Toyama University

Dr. Calin D. Marioara, a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Industrial Science (SINTEF), which is one of Europe’s largest research institutes, was hired as a Foreign Researcher by Advanced Aluminum Research Center (ARC, Director, Prof. Toshiya Shibayanagi) under the university’s first overseas cross-appointment system. He came to the university last December, paid a courtesy visit to President Shigeru Saito on January 10, and will stay until March 31, 2024.

Dr. Marioara specializes in microstructures of materials, with a particular expertise in crystal structures. As a researcher at SINTEF, he has been conducting joint research with aluminum companies, universities, and research institutes, spanning not only Norway but also globally. Since 2007, he has been conducting joint research with Prof. Kenji Matsuda of the University of Toyama about nano-meter scale metastable phase in aluminum alloys in Japan, and they have been developing new alloys (TOYAMA alloys) with the company in Toyama Prefecture, among others.

At ARC, we are engaged in the analysis of intermetallic compounds of nanometer order that contribute to strength, which is essential for the quality assurance of recycled aluminum, by making full use of the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) (Photo 2), which was newly installed last year. Having already succeeded in acquiring high-resolution images, as shown in Photo 3, during a trial run, the team expects to identify harmful elements in recycled aluminum and discover new compounds soon.