UC metallurgist exploring corrosion rates of marine alloys

The magnesium forms in crystals, usually very small. The crystals connect with one another and create a corrosion pathway, weakening the material.

Steiner and his team are trying to manipulate the way the magnesium forms, making it into fewer, bigger crystals that would eliminate a clear corrosion pathway. 

"At the end of the day, we're hoping to be able to take a small marine aluminum craft that would fail in 10 to 20 years, and extend that to 20 to 40 years," he said. 

Extending the lifespan of these marine structures would decrease the necessary maintenance required to keep them functioning properly. Instead of having to do regular repairs on ships, rigs, etc., ideally, repairs would only be needed when issues arise because of abnormal conditions. 

As both a professor and a researcher, Steiner is passionate about teaching students. One of his recent doctoral graduates played a pivotal role in this project by uncovering its preliminary results. The student found that they were able to extend the service life by a factor of two, which can make a big difference.

Through the CAREER project, Steiner and his team are not only exploring this possibility but also working to understand the underlying mechanisms that make such an improvement possible.

They had a hypothesis for what was happening in this system at a fundamental level and were able to prove it in their first round of testing. Now, they hope to gain a deeper understanding and learn how to optimize and extend the service life even more.

The CAREER Award includes an educational component as part of the grant. Steiner is involved with a couple of educational initiatives relating to his work. 

“I've been working with the Cincinnati Art Museum as an ongoing project to bring Science of Art programming into their displays,“ Steiner explained.

He helped museum curators understand the science behind a metallic object they referred to as a “magic mirror“ because it bounced and reflected light in an abnormal way. Bringing science to art has been an ongoing project and partnership between the Cincinnati Art Museum and University of Cincinnati professors. Their idea is to implement QR codes near exhibits that when scanned, give viewers information about the scientific phenomenon taking place within the piece. 

Additionally, in recent years, he has served as one of the faculty advisers for the new student forging club. The club has competed in the Forging Industry Education and Research Foundation (FIERF) competition, receiving a People's Choice Award in 2023 and a Forging Club Grant from the foundation in 2024. They've made a fireman's Halligan bar and a tuning fork. Now they are working on a blacksmith's hammer. Steiner is a member of the Minerals, Metals, & Materials Society, which holds a biannual sword-making competition. 

“Part of my outreach is offering, within the next couple of years, a course that looks at materials science through history, looking at the connections between basic materials science concepts and bringing them into a historical context,” Steiner said.

The working course title is called “The Cutting Edge of History,“ playing on the fact that much of technology we have today has come from sword making. Historical periods like the Iron Age and the Bronze Age have enabled the advancement of society. Steiner plans to teach the course as an interdisciplinary offering rather than a STEM course, aiming to bring it to a wider audience.

Although students won’t be forging swords themselves, they will learn about metal processing, understanding each step necessary to create these metal objects, beginning with molten metal and ending with swords, butter knives, etc. The plan is to offer this course through the UC Honors College within the next several years. Steiner is motivated by his students and his teaching and looks forward to bringing this course to life.

“At the end of the day, I’m here for my students,” he said. “I really enjoy UC being so industrially focused because of the co-op program, giving students great contacts with industry, and I get to do a lot of side projects that are really meaningful.”

Featured image at top: Matt Steiner has received the NSF CAREER Award to fund his research on corrosion rates of marine alloys. Photo/CEAS Marketing