Wyatt L. Du Frane

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Title
Group Leader, High Performance Materials
Email
dufrane2@llnl.gov
Phone
(925) 423-8026
Organization
Not Available

Biography Education Publications Awards Additional Info

Research interests

Processing and recycling of lithium materials for energy and defense applications.
High pressure, high temperature synthesis, sintering, consolidation, melt separation of advanced materials
Development of ceramics and composites for cutting/grinding, armor, corrosive, ultra-high temperature environments and other harsh service conditions
Advanced and Additive Manufacturing of novel materials
Electrical, mechanical and transport properties of ceramics, metals, rocks, minerals, melts, fluids.

Current position(s)

Group Leader

Career path

Wyatt is the Leader of High Performance Materials Group in the Materials Science Division. He first worked at LLNL as a student intern in 2001, and returned to the lab in 2010 as a postdoc. He has subject matter expertise in the advanced manufacturing of ceramics and composites. He is a lead on lithium materials for the Strategic Deterrence programs, and is key personnel for several projects supporting the engineering, processing, recycling of various materials and feedstocks.

Highlights

https://pls.llnl.gov/article/52616/lithium-hydride-advanced-technologies

https://www.llnl.gov/article/49816/energy-inks-wins-regional-flc-award

https://str.llnl.gov/past-issues/januaryfebruary-2023/big-risks-bold-science

https://www.llnl.gov/article/46781/measuring-electrical-properties-methane-hydrates-leads-better-understanding-gases-seafloors

https://str.llnl.gov/past-issues/december-2017/investigating-water-under-earths-surface

Subject Matter Expertise

Lithium compounds, ceramics, advanced manufacturing, tech-maturation and transfer to production lines

Ph.D., Geological Sciences (Mineral Physics), Arizona State University, Tempe, 2010

M.S., Geological Sciences (Mineral Physics), Arizona State University, Tempe, 2005

B.S., Physics, University of California at Santa Cruz, 2002

Selected publications

Peter WF Evans, Christian G Bustillos, Harry Charalambous, Alexander E Wilson-Heid, Jibril Shittu, Andrew J Swift, Jaben Root, Wyatt L Du Frane, Pressureless sintering of lithium hydride, Journal of the European Ceramic Society, 45(5), 117152, 2025.
IR Crystal, B Schauer, ES Converse, JT Cahill, WL Du Frane, GCS King, Investigation of B4C for inhibiting crystallization in silica at high temperatures, Ceramics International, 50(11A), 19335-19343, 2024.
H Charalambous, Q Yang, J Rivera, IR Crystal, LY Sun, F Thorpe, William Rosenberg, S.J. McCormack, G.C.S. King, J. T Cahill, W. L Du Frane, J.D Kuntz, E.Sobalvarro Converse (2024), Thermostructural evolution of boron carbide characterized using in-situ x-ray diffraction, Acta Materialia 265, 119597, 2024.
H Charalambous, MH Jancich, PWF Evans, J Rivera, JT Cahill, W. L Du Frane, J.D Kuntz, Q Yang ,Processing and characterization of the homologous ZrxTa2O2x+ 5 series Ceramics International, 50(9B), 15848-15855, 2024.
Q Yang, H Charalambous, EM Sobalvarro, J Rivera, PWF Evans, J. T Cahill, W. L Du Frane, J.D Kuntz, Synthesis, sintering, and grain growth kinetics of Hf₆Ta₂O_17,Journal of the European Ceramic Society 43 (10), 4541-4548, 2023.
CG Bustillos, G King, Q Yang, T Baumer, CKI Sio, M Bora, JR Root, JD Kuntz, WL Du Frane, Densification and microstructure features of lithium hydride fabrication, Annals of Nuclear Energy 185, 109709
CG Bustillos, M Bora, G King, S Matt, C Haertling, WL Du Frane, Moisture ingress in commercial steel drums: Water content determination, diffusion modelling and predicted permeation rates, Packaging Technology and Science 36 (5), 329-347
E. Sobalvarro Converse, F.Thorpe, J. Rivera, H. Charalambous, G. King, J. T. Cahill, W. L. Du Frane, J. D. Kuntz, S. J. McCormack, In-situ Synchrotron X-ray Diffraction and Thermal Expansion of TiB2 up to ~3050 ˚C, Journal of the European Ceramic Society, 2023.
Wat, A., Hall, A., Yang, Q.R., Lu, R., Converse, E.S., Ye, C., King, G., Kuntz, J., Worsley, M., Cahill, J. and Du Frane, W. (2021). Synthesis of nanograined zirconium diboride microsphere powder feedstock via emulsification of suspensions. Ceramics International 48.16 (2022): 22664-22671.
LA Stern, S Constable, R Lu, WL Du Frane, JJ Roberts, Electrical Properties of Carbon Dioxide Hydrate: Implications for Monitoring CO2 in the Gas Hydrate Stability Zone, Geophysical Research Letters 48 (15), e2021GL093475, 2021.
M.A. Salazar de Troya, J.R. Morales, B. Giera, A.J. Pascall, M.A. Worsley, R. Landingham, W.L. Du Frane, J.D. Kuntz, Modeling Flow-based Electrophoretic Deposition for Functionally Graded Materials, Materials & Design, 209, 110000, 2021.
J. C. Cahill, W. L. Du Frane, J. Soderlind, C. K. I. Sio, R. Lu, M. A. Worsley, J. D. Kuntz, 2020. Transformation of Boron Nitride from Cubic to Hexagonal under 1-atm Helium, Diam. Relat. Mater.
S. Constable, R. Lu, L. A. Stern, W. L. Du Frane, J. J. Roberts, 2020. Laboratory electrical conductivity of marine gas hydrate. Geophys. Res. Lett., doi.org/10.1029/2020GL087645 (Featured on cover).
S Chandrasekaran, R Lu, R Landingham, JT Cahill, L Thornley, W. L. Du Frane, M. A. Worsley, J. D. Kuntz, 2020. Additive manufacturing of graded B4C-Al cermets with complex shapes, Materials & Design, 108516.
R. Lu, L. A. Stern, W. L. Du Frane, J. C. Pinkston, J. J. Roberts, S. Constable, 2019. The effect of brine on the electrical properties of methane hydrate, J. Geophys. Res., 124 (11), 10877-10892.
J. Mora, J. K. Dudoff, B. D. Moran, J. R. DeOtte, W. L. Du Frane, J. D. Kuntz, and A. J. Pascall, 2018. Projection Based Light-Directed Electrophoretic Deposition for Additive Manufacturing, Additive Manufacturing, 22, 330-333.
R. Lu, S. Chandrasekaran, W. L. Du Frane, R. L. Landingham, M. A. Worsley, and J. D. Kuntz, 2018. Complex shaped boron carbides from negative additive manufacturing, Materials & Design, 148, 8-16, doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2018.03.026.
D. Novella, B. Jacobsen, P. K. Weber, J. A. Tyburczy, F. J. Ryerson, and W. L. Du Frane, 2017. Hydrogen self-diffusion in single crystal olivine and electrical conductivity of the Earth’s mantle, Scientific Reports, 7, 5344. (I.F. = 4.3) doi:10.1038/s41598-017-05113-6

For a full list, see: Google Scholar | ResearchGate | Scopus | ORCID

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=TV6j1CsAAAAJ&hl=en

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Wyatt-Du-Frane?ev=hdr_xprf

https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=12243957700

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5591-0376?lang=en

Patents

Semi-passive cooling using hierarchical vasculature JT Cahill, S Chandrasekaran, WL Du Frane, JD Kuntz, RL Landingham, US Patent 12,085,333, 2024
Flowable fiber composite materials and methods of making and using the same GCS King, WL Du Frane, IR Crystal, JT Cahill, US Patent App. 18/421,843, 2024
Three-dimensional printing of ceramic materials S Chandrasekaran, JT Cahill, WL Du Frane, JD Kuntz, RL Landingham, R Lu, MA Worsley, US Patent 11,858,858, 2024
Compliant suture-based joinery A Wat, G King, J Cahill, J Kuntz, W Du Frane, M Worsley, L Bekker, X Xu, Y Sun, J Deotte, US Patent App. 17/392,686, 2023
Spherical microparticles formed using emulsions and applications of said microparticles, JT Cahill, W Du Frane, JD Kuntz, R Lu, A Wat, MA Worsley, C Ye, US Patent App. 17/315,058, 2021.

Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer (FLC) Award, Best in Region award for Energy Inks, 2023
NNSA Defense Programs Award of Excellence, for Exceptional Technology Transfer, 2022.
LLNL WCI Gold Award for Exceptional Technology Transfer to Production Agencies, 2022.
LLNL WTE Bronze Award for Exceptional Technology Transfer to Production Agencies, 2022.
R&D100 Award for contributions to Energy Inks, 2022
LLNL Director’s S&T Award, NIF High Energy Density Science Campaign, 2020.
NNSA Defense Programs Awards of Excellence, NIF High Energy Density Science, 2019.
NNSA Defense Programs Awards of Excellence, Increased materials utilization, 2019.
Physical and Life Sciences Directorate Award, for role in developing NRAP tool set 2018.
Global Security Directorate Award, for accomplishments in developing NRAP tool set 2018.
R&D100 Team Award for contributions to multi-lab National Risk Assessment Partnership (NRAP) that developed a sophisticated software toolset to assess the geological integrity and environmental risk of carbon dioxide storage sites, 2017.
LLNL Director’s S&T Award, National Risk Assessment Partnership Toolset (NRAP), 2017.
Best Paper Award 49th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, San Francisco, CA
American Rock Mechanics Association, 2015.
Geothermal Resources Council Best Presentation Award, GRC Annual Meeting, Portland, OR, 2014.
Physical and Life Sciences Directorate Team Award for Sustained effort in publishing research on the mitigation of greenhouse gases and climate change in peer-reviewed literature - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 2013.
Physical and Life Sciences SPOT Award for Outstanding Research and Best Poster Presentation at Postdoc Poster Symposium - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 2011.
Honors Senior B.S. Thesis in Physics - University of California, Santa Cruz, 2003