The Deakin Institute for Frontier Materials is home to the Advanced Alloys Group.
An interdisciplinary team of researchers developing greener next-generation metals and manufacturing technologies for the metals industry of the future. The Advanced Alloys Group combines expertise in metallurgy, engineering, and physics to design high-performance alloys and processes that support circularity and sustainability.
Our research capabilities
High Performance Alloy Design and Processing
- Development of ultrahigh-strength steels and wear-resistant materials for mining
- Lightweight magnesium and aluminium alloys
- Upcycled titanium from scrap
- Integration of AI and machine learning to accelerate alloy discovery
Metal Forming
- Advanced material models for forming low-ductility sheet materials
- Innovative forming methods for complex structural components
- Intelligent process monitoring and shape control
Novel Additive Manufacturing
- Pioneering solid-state 3D printing via additive friction stir deposition (MELD)
- Large-format manufacturing without melting input materials
- Applicable to steel, titanium, aluminium, and copper alloys
How we are different
From atomic-level analysis using Atom Probe Tomography to industrial-scale casting and forming, Deakin Institute for Frontier Materials’ facilities support alloy research across all scales.
At the heart of this capability is the fastAlloy Lab—a purpose-built rapid prototyping space featuring:
- A vacuum suction eight-station arc melting furnace
- AI-guided alloy design and testing
- Accelerated development cycles, reducing alloy testing time from months to weeks
Together, the group’s expertise and infrastructure allow the Advanced Alloys team to turn fundamental discoveries into real-world metal applications.
Our commitment to sustainable metals
The Advanced Alloys Group is reimagining traditional materials and processes to support multi-life functionality and value retention. Their research is helping industries transition to greener, more efficient manufacturing systems, with a strong focus on circular economy principles.
In 2021, Deakin Distinguished Professor Matthew Barnett received an Australian Laureate Fellowship, securing almost $3 million in funding to explore his idea: Alloy Alchemy: New paradigms in alloy science to promote a circular economy. Through this work, Prof Barnett is uncovering ways to tap into the scrap metal market by developing alloys that better serve society across three measures: economic, environmental and social.
In 2025, the Australian Research Council Training Centre for Resource Efficient Alloys in a Circular Economy (circAlloy) began its operations, led by Deakin Institute for Frontier Materials.
circAlloy will drive innovation into sustainable alloy development to support Australia’s transition to net zero by training a new generation of researchers to take circular economy principles into the metals processing industry. It brings together three disciplines: metal science, sustainability science and artificial intelligence.
The Centre, backed by nearly $8 million in funding, is in collaboration with the University of Technology Sydney, the Deakin Applied Artificial Intelligence Initiative and industry partners including Bradken, Callidus, Bisalloy, Hysata, and Doogood.
See how we work
Professor of Metallurgy Dan Fabijanic is a leading researcher in advanced alloys at Deakin University’s Institute for Frontier Materials. His research focuses on the design of metal alloys and surface modifications to enhance durability and performance in challenging environments.
Circularity for critical alloys
Deakin Distinguished Professor of Metallurgy Matthew Barnett is an ARC Laureate Fellow who is exploring how to take discarded high-performance alloys and turn them back into high-value advanced alloys.
