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Staff Profile

Professor Trevor Page

Senior Research Investigator

  • Email: trevor.page@ncl.ac.uk
  • Telephone: +44 (0) 191 208 7516
  • Address: School of Chemical Engineering & Advanced Materials,
    Merz Court,
    Newcastle upon Tyne,
    NE1 7RU
Background

Introduction

Trevor Page (FREng, ScD) is an Emeritus Professor and Senior Researcher. From 1987 to 2008, he held The Cookson Group Chair of Materials Engineering. A former Head of Materials Engineering & Metallurgy, he was also University Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and External Affairs), 2000-2008. Though retired in 2008, he still publishes.

His research interests centre upon measuring and understanding the mechanical properties of very small volumes of materials, especially the nucleation and behaviour of property-controlling defects and the behaviour of thin-coated systems, by depth-sensing ‘nanoindentation’ and high-resolution microscopies. He has published extensively, is a regular conference invited speaker in Europe and the USA, was the first non-US Chairman of the Gordon Conference on Tribology (2004), has given many presentations to schools and has broadcast for BBC Radio 4 and the World service.

Currently, he is a Non-Executive Director of the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), the world-leading Innovation Centre, based in the north-east of England, and running national centres in Sustainable Processing, Printable Electronics and Biologics (tailored drug development and manufacture)

Background

Educated at King Edward VI Grammar School, Lichfield, Staffs (1957-1964), Trevor Page graduated from the University of Cambridge (Jesus College) with a first class honours degree in Materials Science (1967) and completed his Ph D ("Field-Ion Microscopy of Dilute Binary Solid Solutions”) in the Department of Metallurgy & Materials Science, University of Cambridge, in 1970. Subsequently, he held a Science & Engineering Research Council Fellowship and then a University Lectureship in Materials Science at Cambridge, moving to the Cookson Group Chair of Materials Engineering at the University of Newcastle in 1987. Subsequent to being Head of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, he became University Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) in August 2000, later becoming the first Pro-Vice-Chancellor for External Affairs and Research Liaison. He has also been a Visiting Professor at Pennsylvania State University, Visiting Research Professor at the University of Tennessee (Knoxville), Visiting Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA and a Foundation fellow of Robinson College Cambridge. Author of over 200 papers (spanning the microstructural control of properties of ceramics, surface engineering, tribology of ceramics, and Nanoindentation testing). He has also served on a wide range of National Committees, Professional Bodies and Editorial Advisory Boards and was involved with the University’s overseas links to Singapore and Australia, Newcastle Science City and the Northern Way (North of England) Science Initiative (the ‘N8’).

Roles and Responsibilities

Emeritus Professor of Materials Engineering (2008- )
[Former Cookson Group Chair of Materials Engineering (1987- 2008); Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) (2000-2004); Pro-Vice-Chancellor (External Affairs & Research Liaison)(2004-2008)]

Qualifications

1967: First Class Honours (BA), Natural Sciences Tripos, Cambridge University (Materials Science)
1971: Ph.D.: Cambridge University (Field-Ion Microscopy of Dilute Binary Solid Solutions - Department of Metallurgy and Materials Science)
1971: Master of Arts, Cambridge University
2012: Doctor of Science (Cambridge University)

Fellow - Institute of Ceramics (F Inst Ceram) (Now IoM) 1986
Fellow - Institute of Materials (F I M) 1991
Fellow - Institute of Physics (F I Phys) 2002
Elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering 2007

Chartered Engineer.

Previous Positions

1970-71: SERC Fellow, Department of Metallurgy & Materials Science, University of Cambridge;
1972-76: University Demonstrator (Assistant Lecturer), University of Cambridge;
1976-86: University Lecturer in Metallurgy & Materials Science, University of Cambridge;
1976-1987: Foundation Fellow, College Lecturer & Fellows' Steward, Robinson College, Cambridge;
1987- Cookson Group Chair of Engineering Materials, Newcastle University
2000-4: Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research), Newcastle University
2004-2008: Pro-Vice-Chancellor (External Affairs & Research Liaison), Newcastle University

Visiting Positions: Visiting Professor, Department of Materials Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, USA (1985); Visiting Research Professor, University of Tennessee (Knoxville), 1996, 1997 & 2000; Visiting Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA (1986, 1996, 1997 & 2000).

Memberships

The Institute of Materials (Fellow);

Previous Memberships include - Materials Research Society, USA
Royal Microscopical Society; past Council Member & Chairman (Materials Section), Tyne-Wear Metallurgical Society (past Chairman);
EPSRC (Structural Materials Colleges (1994-2006);
British Joint Committee on Electron Microscopy (past-Chairman);
Foresight (OST/DTI - 1995-6) - Materials at their limits;.
Defence Scientific Advisory Committee (MoD): Materials Technology Board, (Chairman 1994-98); other Boards and working parties 1998-2006.

Current & past member of Editorial Advisory Boards for Journal of Materials Science (Managing Editorial Board), Journal of Microscopy, Scanning, Transactions & Journal (British Ceramic Society), Kluwer Materials Encyclopaedia

Honours and Awards

Titular scholar, Jesus College, Cambridge (1967-);
Diploma: Royal Microscopical Society (1979);
Leslie Holliday Prize (Institute of Materials (1982) - Microstructure-Property Relationships in Ceramics);
MRS Outstanding Poster Presentation award 1998 - Nanoindentation of 6H-SiC : Slip vs Densification;
Gordon Research Conference on Tribology1998 - Donald C Flom Award, (first recipient) for the Outstanding Contribution Contact Damage to Ceramics & Ceramic Coatings.

Elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering 2007

Awarded Doctor of Science (Cambridge University) 2012

Languages

English

Informal Interests

Listening to music; guitar playing; opera, theatre & cinema; collecting (and reading) detective fiction; food & wine; gardening.

Selected Publications

These publications are a selection from the various research domains in which I have worked – all involving the elucidation of fundamental structure-property-process path relationships in metals, ceramics, ion-implanted and coated systems. In all cases, emphasis has been placed on developing approaches to investigate the critical microstructural features governing properties, engineering applications and lifetimes (e.g. grain boundary structures in metals and ceramics, the adhesion and integrity of coatings) at the scales at which microstructural control occurs. This has often required the modification of techniques and the development of image contrast theories. Another theme has been to establish how ‘forefront microstructural techniques’ – emerging from time to time – e.g. HRTEM, HRSEM, AFM, scanning electron acoustic microscopy and nanoindentation - can provide critical information for those using and applying materials.

Field-Ion Microscopy - Imaging Individual Solute Atoms, Dislocations and Grain Boundaries

Field-Ion Microscopy of Dilute Binary Substitutional Solid Solution Alloys
T.F. Page and B. Ralph
Proceedings Royal Society (London), A339, 1974, 223-243.

Dissociated Dislocations in Field-Ion Microscope Images of Iridium and Iridium-based Alloys
T.F. Page and B. Ralph
Philosophical Magazine, 26, 1972, 601-616.

The Contrast from Interfaces in the Field-Ion Microscope
P.R. Howell, T.F. Page and B. Ralph
Philosophical Magazine, 25, 1972, 879-896.

The Structure of Grain Boundaries - a Model based on Planar Matching
B. Ralph, P.R. Howell and T.F. Page
Physica Status Solidi (b), 55, 1973, 641-652.

Grain Boundary and Interfacial Structures in Ceramics

A TEM Fresnel Method for Characterising Grain Boundary Films
J.N. Ness, W.M. Stobbs and T.F. Page
Philosophical Magazine, A54, 1986, 679-702.

The Structure and Properties of Interfaces in Reaction-Bonded Silicon Carbides
J.N. Ness and T.F. Page in "Tailoring Composite and Multiphase Ceramics", (Plenum Press), (Eds. R.E. Tressler et al).
Materials Science and Research, 20, 1986, 347-356.

Ceramics - Microstructural Characterisation

The Importance of Microstructural Characterisation in Improving Ceramics for Engineering Applications
T.F. Page
Invited Review in Festschrift for Sir Robert Honeycombe (Eds. J.A. Charles & G.C. Smith)
The Institute of Materials (UK), 1992, 337-361.
 
The Modern SEM:  An Increasingly Versatile and Integrated Tool for the Microstructural and Microchemical Analysis of Engineering Ceramics, Coatings & Composites
T.F. Page
Invited Paper in Electron Microscopy and Analysis 1993 (EMAG 93), Ed. A.J. Craven).
Institute of Physics Conference Series, 138, 1993, 295-300.  (IoP Publishing, Bristol).

The Characterisation of Ceramic Materials by SEM and SPM Techniques
S V Hainsworth & T F Page
Journal of Non-Destructive Evaluation, 17 (4-5), 2001, 235-261.

Ceramics, Cathodoluminescence Analysis of.
Page T.F., and Barrett R.
Reference Module in Materials Science and Materials Engineering; Saleem Hashmi (editor-in-chief).
Oxford: Elsevier; 2016. pp. 1-7.                        [SBN: 978-0-12-803581-8]

SiC Ceramics - Microstructural Characterisation and Polytypic Transformations

Electron Microscopy of Interfaces between Transforming Polytypes in Silicon Carbide
N.W. Jepps and T.F. Page
Journal of Microscopy, 116, 1979, 159-171.

The Direct Identification of Stacking Sequences in Silicon Carbide Polytypes by
High Resolution Electron Microscopy
N.W. Jepps, D.J. Smith and T.F. Page
Acta. Crystallographica, A35, 1979, 916-923.

Intermediate Transformation Structures in Silicon Carbide
N.W. Jepps and T.F. Page
Journal of Microscopy, 119, 1980, 177-188.

Polytypic Transformations in Silicon Carbide - A Review
N.W. Jepps and T.F. Page
Progress in Crystal Growth and Characterisation, 7, 1983, 259-307.
[Invited Review for Special Issue on Polytypism (Ed. P. Krishna)].

Microstructural Evolution in Reaction-Bonded Silicon Carbides
J.N. Ness and T.F. Page
Journal of Materials Science, 21, 1986, 1377-1397.

Ceramics - Hardness, Wear and Near-Surface Deformation Behaviour

Microstructural Studies of the Temperature Dependence of Deformation Structures around Hardness Indentations in Ceramics
M.G.S. Naylor and T.F. Page
Journal of Microscopy, 130, 1983, 345-360.

On the Microstructure and Hardness Response of Composite Ceramics for Tool Applications
J.A. Yeomans and T.F. Page in "Tailoring Composite and Multiphase Ceramics", (Plenum, (Eds R E Tressler et al).
Mats. Sci. & Res. 20, 1986, 317-328.

Characterising the Surface Contact Behaviour of Ceramics
Part 1:  Hardness Response of Glass-Bonded Alumina and Titania
J.T. Czernuszka and T.F. Page
Journal of Materials Science, 22, 1987, 3907-3916.

Characterising the Surface Contact Behaviour of Ceramics -  Part 2: Chemo-Mechanical Effects
J.T. Czernuszka and T.F. Page
Journal of Materials Science, 22, 1987, 3917-3923.

An Explanation for the Indentation Size Effect in Ceramics
S.J. Bull, T.F. Page and E.H. Yoffe
Philosophical Magazine Letters, 59, 1989, 281-288.

Wear of Engineering  Ceramics by a Soft Abrasive
J.T. Czernuszka and T.F. Page
Journal of Materials Science, 1997, 32, 6671-6680.

The Compelling Case for Indentation as a Functional Exploratory and Characterization Tool
David B. Marshall, Robert F. Cook,  Nitin P. Padture,  Michelle L. Oyen,
Antonia Pajares, Jodie E. Bradby,  Ivar E. Reimanis, Rajan Tandon,
Trevor F. Page, George M. Pharr, Brian R Lawn.
J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 98 [9], 2015, 2671–2680 (Feature Article) [DOI: 10.1111/jace.13729]

The Origins of Chemomechanical Effects in the Low-Load Indentation Hardness and Tribology of Ceramic Materials
Steve J Bull, Noushin Moharrami, Sarah V Hainsworth, and Trevor F Page.
J Maters Science, 51(1,) 2016, 107-125. Special 50th Anniversary Issue 2015. [Pub. online: 15 Sept. 2015]

Ceramics - Responses to Nanoindentation

The Unusual Deformation Behaviour of Ceramic Crystals
Subjected to Very Low Load Indentations
T.F. Page, W.C. Oliver and C.J. McHargue
Journal of Materials Research, 7, 1992, 450-473.

Analysis of Nanoindentation Load-Displacement Loading Curves
S.V. Hainsworth, H.W. Chandler and T.F. Page
Journal of Materials Research, 11, 1996, 1987-1995.

The Plasticity Response of SiC and Related Isostructural Materials to Nanoindentation : Slip vs Densification
Trevor Page, Laura Riester & Sarah Hainsworth,in Fundamentals of Nanoindentation & Nanotribology  (Eds, S.P.Baker, N. Burnham, W.W. Gerberich  & N Moody). Proceedings MRS Spring Meeting, San Francisco, April 1998.             
Symp. Proc. Mats. Res. Society, 522, 1998, 113-118. [MRS Outstanding Poster  Prize]           [ISBN 1-55899-428-9]  

Evaluation of the Mechanical Properties of Ceramics Using Nanoindentation
S.V. Hainsworth and T.F. Page
Journal of Non-Destructive Evaluation, 17 (4-5), 2001, 275-298.

Ceramics - Stability with Liquid Metals

The Chemical Stability of Ceramic Cutting Tools Exposed to Liquid Metals
J.A. Yeomans and T.F. Page
(Wear of Materials 1987, 325-332 (Ed. K.C. Ludema) ASME, USA, 1987).
Wear, 131, 1989, 163-175.

The Interactions of an Al203 - SiC Whisker Reinforced Composite Ceramic with Liquid Metals
R. Barrett and T.F. Page
(Wear of Materials 1989, 441-448 (Ed. K.C. Ludema), ASME, USA 1989).                                                                   Wear, 138, 1990, 225-237.

Studies of Ceramic-Liquid Metal Reaction Interfaces
J.A. Yeomans and T.F. Page
Journal of Materials Science, 25, 1990, 2312-2320.

The Use of Interfacial Reactions to Join Ceramic Matrix Composites with Metal Films
R. Barrett and T.F. Page in "Designing Ceramic Interfaces II" (Ed. S.D. Peteves) Proc. 2nd CEC Colloquium Petten, November 1991.
Official Publication of the European Communities Physical Sciences EUR 15306, 1993, 303-318. 

The Effects of Ion-Implantation into Ceramic Surfaces

High-Dose Ion Implantation of Ceramics: Benefits and Limitations for Tribology
S.J. Bull and T.F. Page
Journal of Materials Science, 23, 1988, 4217-4230.

Chemomechanical Effects in Ion Implanted MgO
S.J. Bull and T.F. Page
Journal of Physics D, 22, 1989, 941-947

SEM Electron Channelling Patterns as a Technique for the Characterisation of Ion Implantation Damage
T.F Page, C.J. McHargue and C.W. White
Journal of Microscopy, 163, 1991, 245-260.

Thermal Effects on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Ion Implanted Ceramics
S.J. Bull and T.F. Page
Journal of Materials Science, 26, 1991, 3086-3106.

The Effects of Ion Implantation on the Friction Behaviour of Sapphire
S.J. Bull and T.F. Page
Journal of Materials Science, 30, 1995, 5356-5370.

Ion Implantation in Ceramics.
Page T.F., and Bull S.J.,
Reference Module in Materials Science and Materials Engineering; Saleem Hashmi (editor-in-chief).
Oxford: Elsevier; 2016. pp. 1-9.  ISBN: 978-0-12-803581-8]

Understanding the Mechanical Properties of Coated Systems : Experimental Studies

Bending Tests to Estimate the Through-Thickness Strengths and Interfacial Shear Strengths in Coated Systems
P.M. Ramsey, T.F. Page and H.W. Chandler
Proc. Int'l. Conf. Hard Metallurgical Coatings, San Diego, 1990 (ICMCTF'90)
Thin Solid Films, 201, 1991, 81-89.

Techniques for Investigating the Mechanical Response of Interfaces in Coated Systems
J.C. Knight, T.F. Page, H.W. Chandler and P.M. Ramsey in  Designing Ceramic Interfaces II  (Ed. S.D. Peteves) Proc. 2nd CEC Colloquium Petten, November 1991
Official Publication of the European Communities Physical Sciences EUR 15306, 1993, 453-467.

Scanning Electron Acoustic Microscopy (SEAM): A technique for the detection of contact-induced surface and sub-surface cracks
T F Page and  B A Shaw
Journal of  Materials Science, 39 (22), 2004, 6791-6806

Understanding the Mechanical Properties of Coated Systems : Nanoindentation

The Nanoindentation Response of Systems with Thin Hard Carbon Coatings
S.V. Hainsworth, T. Bartlett and T.F. Page
Proc. Int'l. Conf. Metallurgical Coatings & Thin Films, San Diego, 1993 (ICMCTF'93)
Thin Solid Films, 236, 1993, 214-218.

The Effect of Coating cracking on the Nanoindentation response of Coated Systems
S.V. Hainsworth, M.R. McGurk & T.F. Page
Proc. Int'l. Conf. Metallurgical Coatings & Thin Films, San Diego, 1996 (ICMCTF'96)
Surface & Coatings Technology, 102, 1998, 97-107                    [ISSN 0257-8972]

Nanoindentation Characterisation of Coated Systems :
P:S2 - A New Approach Using the Continuous Stiffness Technique
T.F. Page,  G.M. Pharr,  J.C. Hay,  W.C. Oliver, B.N. Lucas,  E. Herbert, & L. Riester
in Fundamentals of Nanoindentation & Nanotribology  (Eds, S.P.Baker, N. Burnham, W.W. Gerberich & N Moody). Proceedings MRS Spring Meeting, San Francisco, April 1998.
Symp. Proc. Mats. Res. Society, 522, 1998, 53-64.                     [ISBN 1-55899-428-9]

Using the P-d2  Analysis to Characterise the Mechanical Response of  Systems with Thin hard Coatings.
M.R. McGurk and T.F. Page, (Invited Paper for Special Issue on Nanoindentation techniques).
Journal of Materials Research, 14 (6), 1999, 2283-2295             [ISSN 0884-2914]

The Contact Response of Thin SiC-Coated Silicon Systems – Characterisation by Nanoindentation

E.G.Berasategui & T.F.Page
Surface & Coatings Technology 163-164, 2003, 491-498[ISSN 0257-8972]

Mechanical Modelling of Multilayer Optical Coatings
E.G.Berasategui, S.J. Bull & T.F.Page
Thin Solid Films, 447-448, 2004, 26-32                                        [ISSN 0040-6090]

Measuring and Modelling the Instrumented Indentation (Nanoindentation) Response of Coated Systems
T. F. Page & S.J. Bull
Philosophical Magazine, 86(33-35), 2006, 5331 -5346                 [ISSN 0040-6090]

Understanding the Mechanical Properties of Coated Systems : Property Modelling

Exploration of the Plate-Bending Model for Predicting the Hardness Response of Coated systems.
M.R. McGurk & T.F. Page
Proc. Int'l. Conf. Metallurgical Coatings & Thin Films, San Diego, 1996 (ICMCTF'96)
Surface & Coatings Technology, 92, 1997, 87-95[ISSN 0257-8972]

Indentation fracture, acoustic emission and modelling of the mechanical properties of thin ceramic coatings
S.J. Bull, I. Arce-Garcia, E. G-Berasetegui and T.F.Page,
Proc. 8th International Conference on Fracture Mechanics of Ceramics, Houston, February 25th-1st March 2003, Fracture Mechanics of Ceramics, Eds. R.C. Bradt, D. Munz, M. Sakai and K.W. White, Springer, New York (2005) pp21-41.

Comments on  - Mechanical Modelling of Multilayer optical coatings  : Authors’ reply
T. F. Page & S. J. Bull
Thin Solid Films, 484, 2005,  439-442.

Materials Design and Engineering

The Quiet Revolution in Materials: The Challenges!
T.F. Page
Keynote Address in  "New Materials & Their Applications", (Proc. Int'l. Conf., Warwick, UK, April 1990).
Institute of Physics (London) Conference Series, 111, 1990, 1-4.   (Ed. D Holland)

Ceramic-Metal Interfaces : Research Needs  - an Invited Review
T.F. Page in "Designing Ceramic Interfaces II" (Ed. S.D. Peteves) ( Proc. 2nd CEC Colloquium Petten, November 1991)
Official Publication of the European Communities Physical Sciences EUR 15306, 1993, 269-279.

Giant Leaps for mankind – The Challenges for Engineering
Trevor Page
CLUB UK | www.educationuk.org/india
British Council (India) Special Issue on Engineering/Industry Focus 2011


Research

Research Interests

During a 40 year research  career, Trevor Page has published nearly 200 papers spanning research in materials science and engineering, including the application of field-ion microscopy and electron and scanning probe microscopies to  problems and challenges in materials engineering, the atomic structures of solid solutions, the structure of property-controlling grain boundaries and interfaces in metals and ceramics, the microstructural control of the properties of engineering ceramics, ceramic coatings and composites, surface engineering with thin hard coatings and ion implantation,  the wear and tribology of ceramics, sub-micron-scale indentation testing and the changing challenges of materials selection and design  with both new and existing materials.   A particular challenge has been to measure, and hence understand and model, those mechanical properties of surfaces which control mechanical responses, component lifetimes and friction and wear - at the very small scales at which materials respond and the properties are controlled – thus making materials selection more dependent on scale-sensitive properties rather than bulk values. This has focussed on developing the use of instrumented indentation tests (sometimes referred to as continuously-recording indentation techniques, or nanoindentation) to create controlled levels of near-surface damage, coupled with and high-resolution electron microscopy (HRSEM, TEM, HRTEM) and scanning probe microscopy (SPM) methods to reveal the surface and sub-surface nature of that damage.

 

One of my over-riding research themes has thus been to develop fundamental understandings of surface-contact-induced deformation mechanisms, and their interaction with microstructure, at the small scales at which responses are generated, whileanother has been todevelop and translate the application of forefront scientific microscopy and property-measuring experimental methods to address critical issues in materials engineering (e.g. coatings, wear parts, gears, electronic device materials) either by the extension and elaboration of the techniques themselves or by creating new approaches. Examples include  new ways of using nanoindentation techniques to characterize the performance of coated systems, Fresnel transmission electron microscopy methods for characterizing performance-limiting nanometer- thick grain boundary films, cathodoluminescence and acoustic  imaging methods for detecting defects and impurities in ceramics using scanning electron  microscopy (SEM) and new scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques for exploring both surface topographies and friction and wear  responses. 

 

From 1971 to 2008, I also supervised many research students and post-doctoral workers in both Universities. Though largely retired, I continue to (more occasionally) publish – see selected publications list for new publications in 2015 & 2016.


Teaching


In Cambridge (until 1987), I taught several courses- including practical classes – in materials science, metallurgy and crystallography to 19 generations of undergraduates in the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, including supervising students taking materials engineering courses (materials’ microstructure, properties and selection) in the University Engineering Department.

In Newcastle I have taught a further 19 generations of engineering students in introductory materials science, fracture and failure, life-timing, materials processing and selection, microstructural design, and tribology.

With regard to courses aimed at raising the skills and awareness of industrial and overseas researchers, for 10 years I was co-organiser of the Cambridge “Advanced SEM Course” (organised by The Royal Microscopical Society) and also taught on the University of Surrey Modular MSc courses for “Engineering ceramics”, “Scanning Electron Microscopy” and “Scanning Probe Microscopies”.

Publications