At the invitation of the Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IMR, CAS), Prof. Javier Llorca, the 2026 Lee Hsun Lecture Award recipient, visited IMR from June 23 to 24, 2026.
On the morning of June 24, Prof. Llorca delivered a lecture titled "Deformation mechanisms of Ni-based superalloys containing γ''' Ni₂(Cr,Mo,W) precipitates" to IMR researchers and graduate students.
In his presentation, Prof. Llorca elaborated on the deformation mechanisms of Haynes 244®, a novel nickel-based superalloy, systematically revealing its distinctive deformation behavior. He highlighted that understanding "how alloys deform" is a prerequisite for optimizing their mechanical properties, as deformation mechanisms vary significantly under different conditions. His presentation covered uniaxial deformation mechanisms, fatigue behavior analysis, and the competition between slip and twinning. The significance of this work is twofold: first, it breaks the conventional paradigm of "dislocation-slip dominance" in Ni-based superalloys and systematically elucidates a new twin-dominated deformation mode that is insensitive to temperature and strain rate, enriching the plasticity theory of superalloys; second, it clarifies the competition between slip and twinning at different temperatures and orientations, providing experimental evidence for understanding the underlying mechanisms.
During his visit, Prof. Llorca also held academic discussions with researchers from the Architectural Metallic Materials Divisionand the Materials Artificial Intelligence Division.
Prof. Javier Llorca is a member of the European Academy of Sciences, a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Zaragoza, President of the European Mechanics Society, a professor at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, and founder of the IMDEA Materials Institute. He is one of the founders of integrated computational materials engineering (ICME), which integrates various modeling and simulation tools into a unified system to accelerate materials development and integrate design with manufacturing. He pioneered the systematic integration of cross-scale and cross-time multi-scale simulation tools and multi-scale modeling strategies to establish the relationships among "processing – microstructure – mechanical behavior" and design structural materials with tailored properties.
Prof. Llorca has published over 600 papers in journals including Science, Progress in Materials Science, Nature Communications, Advanced Materials, Acta Materialia, International Journal of Plasticity and Corrosion Science, with over 28,000 citations and an H-index of 94. He holds more than 20 European and US patents. He serves as Executive Editor of Modelling and Simulation in Materials Science and Engineering, and as Associate Editor or editorial board member for numerous journals. He has received many prestigious awards, including the Distinguished Scientist Award from TMS, the Career Achievement Award from the Spanish Society of Materials, the Magnesium Science and Technology Award from the International Magnesium Society, and the Miguel Catalán Science Award from the Community of Madrid.
