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Elastic strain-induced amorphization in high-entropy alloys
Lattice stability related to the structural response is the basis for understanding mechanical and physical behavior of crystalline solids. Here, the authors show a manifestation of elastic instability in high-entropy alloys via elastic strain induced amorphization.
- Yeqiang Bu
- , Yuan Wu
- & Wei Yang
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Article
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Low-frequency conductivity of low wear high-entropy alloys
The transport behavior of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) remains unclear. Here, the authors explore the fundamentals of low-wear and high-conductivity refractory HEAs, examining the cocktail effect in conductivity, and highlight its potential applications in enhancing atomic-scale image resolution.
- Cheng-Hsien Yeh
- , Wen-Dung Hsu
- & Chuan-Feng Shih
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Article
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The role of microstructure in the thermal fatigue of solder joints
Thermal fatigue frequently leads to failure in electronic solder joints. Here, the authors measure and quantitatively explain how microstructure affects thermal fatigue in a ball grid array package and propose optimum microstructures for thermal fatigue resistance.
- J. W. Xian
- , Y. L. Xu
- & C. M. Gourlay
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Article
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The origin of exceptionally large ductility in molybdenum alloys dispersed with irregular-shaped La2O3 nano-particles
Application of Molybdenum alloys is hindered by reduced ductility at lower temperatures. Here, the author shows improved ductility in a Mo alloy with irregular-shaped rare-earth La2O3 nanoparticles achieved via rotary-swaging, attributed to the amorphization of the oxide-matrix interface.
- Yujie Chen
- , Yan Fang
- & Qian Yu
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Article
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Overcoming strength-ductility tradeoff with high pressure thermal treatment
Conventional material processing methods often suffer by strength-ductility trade-off. Here, the authors show high-pressure and high-temperature treatment can transform an eutectic high entropy alloy to having a hierarchical microstructure with simultaneous enhancements of strength and ductility.
- Yao Tang
- , Haikuo Wang
- & Haofei Zhou
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Article
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Neural network kinetics for exploring diffusion multiplicity and chemical ordering in compositionally complex materials
The inherent chemical complexity in compositionally complex materials present a challenge in studying atomic diffusion. Here, the authors introduce a neural network kinetics scheme to effectively address this issue and reveal anomalous diffusion behavior in complex concentrated alloys.
- Bin Xing
- , Timothy J. Rupert
- & Penghui Cao
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Article
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Low-index mesoscopic surface reconstructions of Au surfaces using Bayesian force fields
Metal surfaces have long been known to reconstruct, but key mechanistic aspects are poorly understood. Here, the authors use Bayesian force fields to gain insights into gold surface reconstructions that are crucial for material science and catalysis.
- Cameron J. Owen
- , Yu Xie
- & Boris Kozinsky
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Perspective
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Materials design for hypersonics
Hypersonic vehicles experience extreme temperatures, high heat fluxes, and aggressive oxidizing environments. Here, the authors highlight key materials design principles for critical vehicle areas and strategies for advancing laboratory-scale materials to flight-ready components.
- Adam B. Peters
- , Dajie Zhang
- & Suhas Eswarappa Prameela
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Article
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Powder-size driven facile microstructure control in powder-fusion metal additive manufacturing processes
Achieving facile grain microstructure control in metal additive manufacturing is essential for its advancement. Here, the authors present a powder-size driven melt pool engineering approach to control the grain morphology demonstrated by laser directed energy deposition and electron beam powder-bed fusion processes.
- Shubham Chandra
- , Chengcheng Wang
- & Xipeng Tan
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Article
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Radionuclide tracing based in situ corrosion and mass transport monitoring of 316L stainless steel in a molten salt closed loop
In situ corrosion monitoring is essential to unveil corrosion mechanisms and safeguard materials’ health. Here, the authors develop a radionuclide tracing based in situ corrosion monitoring technique that can monitor corrosion attack depth and corrosion product transport in flowing molten salts.
- Yafei Wang
- , Aeli P. Olson
- & Adrien Couet
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Article
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Amorphous alloys surpass E/10 strength limit at extreme strain rates
Magnitude of the ideal strength achievable in experiments for metals remains to be known. Here, the authors show that the spall strength of Cu50Zr50 amorphous alloy exceeds the E/10 limit at extreme strain rates, showing the void nucleation and growth as the primary failure mechanism.
- Wenqing Zhu
- , Zhi Li
- & Xiaoding Wei
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Article
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Pore evolution mechanisms during directed energy deposition additive manufacturing
Porosity is a key issue in additive manufacturing (AM). Here, the authors reveal the bubble evolution mechanisms including formation, coalescence, pushing, growth, entrainment, escape, and entrapment during directed energy deposition AM using in situ X-ray imaging and multiphysics modelling.
- Kai Zhang
- , Yunhui Chen
- & Peter D. Lee
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Article
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Intrinsic factors responsible for brittle versus ductile nature of refractory high-entropy alloys
Poor ductility is a major drawback of otherwise promising refractory high-entropy alloys (RHEAs) for ultrahigh temperature applications. Here, the authors show how ductility can be enhanced by adding HCP elements to BCC RHEAs, which is a relatively simple way to optimize mechanical properties.
- Tomohito Tsuru
- , Shu Han
- & Haruyuki Inui
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Article
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General synthesis and atomic arrangement identification of ordered Bi–Pd intermetallics with tunable electrocatalytic CO2 reduction selectivity
Precise synthesis of Intermetallic compounds and understanding of the structure-performance correlation are highly desirable in catalysis. Here, the authors develop a general method to synthesize up to six BiPd intermetallic compounds and study the mechanism toward the electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction reaction.
- Wenjin Guo
- , Guangfang Li
- & Rong Chen
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Article
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Rejuvenation as the origin of planar defects in the CrCoNi medium entropy alloy
High and medium-entropy alloys have shown excellent mechanical performance, yet the role of short-range order (SRO) on these properties has been unclear. Here, the authors demonstrate that the reduction of SRO by deformation leads to rejuvenation, explaining their remarkable damage tolerance.
- Yang Yang
- , Sheng Yin
- & Andrew M. Minor
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Article
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Ultrastrong and ductile steel welds achieved by fine interlocking microstructures with film-like retained austenite
Weld integrity and performance determine lifetime and safety of structures. Here, the authors report advances in weld quality of ultrahigh strength steels resulting from fine interlocking weld microstructures with film-like retained austenite by utilizing Nb and Cr instead of Ni.
- Joonoh Moon
- , Gyuyeol Bae
- & Dirk Ponge
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Article
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Manufacturing of high strength and high conductivity copper with laser powder bed fusion
Copper produced by laser additive manufacturing often faces challenges with either low strength or low conductivity. Here, the authors present a design strategy to introduce uniformly dispersed nanoprecipitates during solidification, enhancing the strength while maintaining high conductivity.
- Yingang Liu
- , Jingqi Zhang
- & Ming-Xing Zhang
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Article
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Elemental partitioning-mediated crystalline-to-amorphous phase transformation under quasi-static deformation
The transformation induced plasticity phenomenon is usually diffusionless. Here, the authors introduce elemental partitioning mediated crystalline-to-amorphous phase transformation in a crystal-glass nanolaminated composite, realizing ultrahigh strength and large plasticity.
- Ge Wu
- , Chang Liu
- & Zhi-Wei Shan
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Article
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Critical role of slags in pitting corrosion of additively manufactured stainless steel in simulated seawater
Mechanisms occurring during seawater corrosion of as-built laser powder bed fusion 316L stainless steels are largely unknown. Here, the authors show that Mn, Si-rich slags found in between laser tracks are responsible for corrosion.
- Shohini Sen-Britain
- , Seongkoo Cho
- & Thomas Voisin
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Article
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Engineering metal-carbide hydrogen traps in steels
Understanding how hydrogen embrittles steels and developing the solutions are crucial for enabling the hydrogen economy. Here, the authors report a materials design strategy that can increase the hydrogen trapping capacity by creating carbon vacancies in metal carbide precipitates via microalloying.
- Pang-Yu Liu
- , Boning Zhang
- & Yi-Sheng Chen
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Article
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Accelerating process development for 3D printing of new metal alloys
Process development for 3D printing of new metal alloys can be time-consuming and variability in the printing outcome makes it even more challenging. Here, authors demonstrate an in-situ method using high-speed imaging and deep learning to accelerate the process design for a more consistent quality.
- David Guirguis
- , Conrad Tucker
- & Jack Beuth
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Article
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How solute atoms control aqueous corrosion of Al-alloys
Understanding the underlying mechanisms during corrosion is one of the grand key missions to improve the sustainability of the material world. Here, the authors combine atomic scale imaging and calculations to show how solute atoms react during aqueous corrosion of a multicomponent Al alloy.
- Huan Zhao
- , Yue Yin
- & Dierk Raabe
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Article
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Atomic-scale observation of nucleation- and growth-controlled deformation twinning in body-centered cubic nanocrystals
Deformation twinning in body-centered cubic (BCC) metals is generally believed to be controlled by twin nucleation, but facilitated by rapid twin growth once the nucleation energy barrier is overcome. Here, the authors demonstrate both nucleation- and growth-controlled twinning modes in BCC Ta nanocrystals depending on the crystal size.
- Li Zhong
- , Yin Zhang
- & Scott X. Mao
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Article
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Anomalous temperature dependence of elastic limit in metallic glasses
It is still challenging to study the atomistic mechanism of inelastic deformation in metallic glasses owing to their amorphous structure. Here, the authors report an anomalous temperature dependence of the onset of plasticity in metallic glasses at low temperature.
- Yifan Wang
- , Jing Liu
- & Wei Cai
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Article
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Strain-driven Kovacs-like memory effect in glasses
An abnormal stress memory effect is discovered in different types of glassy materials when they are subjected to a low strain after a high strain. This strategy can be used to depress the stress relaxation and increase the stability under loading.
- Yu Tong
- , Lijian Song
- & Jun-Qiang Wang
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Article
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Revealing the room temperature superplasticity in bulk recrystallized molybdenum
Body-centered cubic refractory metals are known to exhibit excellent high-temperature strength, but often suffer from brittle fracture. Here, the authors produce a bulk pure Mo with stable fine-grain structure after powder metallurgy, Y-type hot rolling and ultra-high temperature annealing (1000~1700 °C) that exhibits room temperature superplasticity.
- Wenshuai Chen
- , Xiyao Li
- & Zenglin Zhou
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Article
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Harmonizing sound and light: X-ray imaging unveils acoustic signatures of stochastic inter-regime instabilities during laser melting
In the pursuit of advancing laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology, researchers have successfully converged the realms of sound and light. Here, the authors unveil the synergistic potential of synchronized x-ray imaging and acoustics to illuminate hidden instabilities in LPBF process.
- Milad Hamidi Nasab
- , Giulio Masinelli
- & Roland E. Logé
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Article
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Solute trapping and non-equilibrium microstructure during rapid solidification of additive manufacturing
Solute transport during rapid and repeated thermal cycles is important in additive manufacturing process. Here, the authors develop a fully-coupled model to rationalise solute transport process, elemental segregation, and non-equilibrium solid/liquid interfacial evolution at sub-grain scale.
- Neng Ren
- , Jun Li
- & Jianguo Li
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Article
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Design for improving corrosion resistance of duplex stainless steels by wrapping inclusions with niobium armour
Nonmetallic inclusions often induce serious corrosion failure of steel, causing catastrophic accidents and economic losses. Here, the authors propose a strategy of wrapping deleterious inclusions with niobium armour (Z phase), improving the corrosion resistance of duplex stainless steel.
- Shucai Zhang
- , Hao Feng
- & Guoping Li
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Article
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Quantitative three-dimensional imaging of chemical short-range order via machine learning enhanced atom probe tomography
Quantifying chemical short-range order (CSRO) remains a formidable for volume-averaged or 2D microscopy methods. Here the authors introduce a machine-learning approach that breaks the resolution limitations of atom probe tomography to reveal the 3D atomistic architecture of CSRO in Fe-based alloys.
- Yue Li
- , Ye Wei
- & Baptiste Gault
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Article
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Additive manufacturing of alloys with programmable microstructure and properties
The traditional way of beating metals to improve their properties is not practical to 3D printed parts with intricate geometry. Here, the authors demonstrate how to program microstructural modifications of metals site-specifically during 3D printing to tune their properties.
- Shubo Gao
- , Zhi Li
- & Matteo Seita
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Article
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Material-agnostic machine learning approach enables high relative density in powder bed fusion products
Exploring laser powder bed fusion in manufacturing, the authors demonstrate a machine learning-based method to optimize processing conditions achieving materials with relative density greater than 98% and experimentally verify its generality for multiple distinct powder materials.
- Jaemin Wang
- , Sang Guk Jeong
- & Byeong-Joo Lee
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Article
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Size-dependent deformation behavior in nanosized amorphous metals suggesting transition from collective to individual atomic transport
How matter deform is a central question in mechanics of materials science. Here, the authors reveal a size-dependent deformation in amorphous metals changing at ~100 nanometer sample size from collective homogeneous flow to interface diffusion realized through individual atomic transport.
- Naijia Liu
- , Sungwoo Sohn
- & Jan Schroers
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Article
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Chemical inhomogeneity–induced profuse nanotwinning and phase transformation in AuCu nanowires
How the random solid solution (RSS) alloys accommodate plasticity and overcome strength-ductility trade-off remain unresolved. Here, the authors reveal atomic-scale plastic deformation of AuCu alloy, which shed light on the effect of chemical inhomogeneity on plastic deformation of RSS alloys.
- Chengpeng Yang
- , Bozhao Zhang
- & Xiaodong Han
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Article
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Atomically dispersed Cu coordinated Rh metallene arrays for simultaneously electrochemical aniline synthesis and biomass upgrading
Electrocatalytic conversion of low-cost organic compounds to high-value chemicals urgently demands the development of efficient electrocatalysts. Mao et al. report the synthesis of Cu single-atom dispersed Rh metallene arrays for electrochemical aniline synthesis and biomass upgrading with enhanced electrocatalytic activity.
- Qiqi Mao
- , Xu Mu
- & Hongjing Wang
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Article
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Nanoscale ductile fracture and associated atomistic mechanisms in a body-centered cubic refractory metal
Understanding the competing modes of brittle versus ductile fracture is critical for preventing material failure. Here, the authors reveal the atomic-scale processes of crack growth in Mo crystals, providing mechanistic insights into the ductile to brittle transition in BCC refractory metals.
- Yan Lu
- , Yongchao Chen
- & Xiaodong Han
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Article
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Operando neutron diffraction reveals mechanisms for controlled strain evolution in 3D printing
Residual stress affects most manufactured goods and is prevalent in casting, welding, and additive manufacturing. Here, the authors use operando neutron diffraction to elucidate mechanisms for lattice strain evolution during printing of a low-temperature transformation steel.
- A. Plotkowski
- , K. Saleeby
- & S. S. Babu
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Article
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Metal 3D nanoprinting with coupled fields
Manufacturing metallized arrays of 3D nanoarchitectures is generally limited by existing lithographic methods. Here, by manipulating applied electric and flow fields, authors demonstrate fast 3D nanoprinting of nanostructured arrays of multiple materials and geometries over millimetre-scale areas.
- Bingyan Liu
- , Shirong Liu
- & Jicheng Feng
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Article
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Bamboo-like dual-phase nanostructured copper composite strengthened by amorphous boron framework
Achieving strength and toughness synergy via microstructure design is challenging in materials science. Here, the authors construct a bamboo-like dual-phase copper-boron structure that has unique mechanical response resulting in simultaneous increase in hardness, strength, and ductility.
- Hang Lv
- , Xinxin Gao
- & Weitao Zheng
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Article
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Experimental study platform for electrocatalysis of atomic-level controlled high-entropy alloy surfaces
Understanding the surface atomic-level structure–property relationships of complex high-entropy alloy electrocatalysts is a challenge. Here, authors propose an experimental study platform to elucidate the relationship between surface nanostructures and high-entropy alloy electrocatalyst properties.
- Yoshihiro Chida
- , Takeru Tomimori
- & Toshimasa Wadayama
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Article
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Giant uniaxial negative thermal expansion in FeZr2 alloy over a wide temperature range
Negative thermal expansion alloys possess an important role in regulating thermal expansion. Here, the authors report a giant uniaxial negative thermal expansion, mainly driven by high-frequency optical branches, in metallic FeZr2 from 93 to 1078 K.
- Meng Xu
- , Qiang Li
- & Jun Chen
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Article
| Open Access
Mesoporous multimetallic nanospheres with exposed highly entropic alloy sites
Nanostructured materials made from multimetal alloys are attractive for catalytic applications. Here, the authors propose a soft-templating approach to prepare mesoporous PtPdRhRuCu nanospheres that feature exposed porous structures rich in highly entropic alloy sites.
- Yunqing Kang
- , Ovidiu Cretu
- & Yusuke Yamauchi
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Article
| Open Access
Radial bimetallic structures via wire arc directed energy deposition-based additive manufacturing
Bimetallic wire arc additive manufacturing has traditionally been limited to deposition of planar interfaces. Here, the authors demonstrate deposition of complex radial interfaces with in situ mechanical interlocking, resulting in the prestressed compressive effect in the as-built parts.
- Lile Squires
- , Ethan Roberts
- & Amit Bandyopadhyay
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Article
| Open Access
Substantially enhanced homogeneous plastic flow in hierarchically nanodomained amorphous alloys
Topological heterostructures are desired in metallic glasses to improve their mechanical properties. Here, the authors present an enthalpy-guided alloy design to introduce nanoscale chemical heterogeneity, producing a metallic glass with a large homogeneous plastic flow at room temperature.
- Ge Wu
- , Sida Liu
- & Zhi-Wei Shan
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Article
| Open Access
Atomic motifs govern the decoration of grain boundaries by interstitial solutes
Interplay between structure and composition of grain boundaries remains elusive, particularly at the atomic level. Here, the authors discover the atomic motifs, which is the smallest structural unit, control the most important chemical properties of grain boundaries.
- Xuyang Zhou
- , Ali Ahmadian
- & Dierk Raabe
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Article
| Open Access
Underlying factors determining grain morphologies in high-strength titanium alloys processed by additive manufacturing
Predictive scheme for Ti alloys with equiaxed microstructures is often limited by the methods based on growth restriction factors, Q. Here, the authors present a predictive solution based on the freezing range of alloys for columnar to equiaxed transition during fusion-based additive manufacturing.
- Mohan S. K. K. Y. Nartu
- , Brian A. Welk
- & Hamish L. Fraser
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Article
| Open Access
Compact A15 Frank-Kasper nano-phases at the origin of dislocation loops in face-centred cubic metals
It is historically assumed point defects in metals coalesce directly into larger dislocation loops. Here the authors revise the fundamental mechanism, reveal the formation of A15 nano-phase clusters in fcc metals prior to dislocation loops, and highlight the major implications of this discovery.
- Alexandra M. Goryaeva
- , Christophe Domain
- & Mihai-Cosmin Marinica
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Article
| Open Access
Ultra-strong tungsten refractory high-entropy alloy via stepwise controllable coherent nanoprecipitations
Tungsten-based alloys with ultrahigh strength and ductility are in high demand for a wide range of applications, potentially for fusion reactors. Here the authors develop a tungsten refractory high-entropy alloy with high strength (~2.15 GPa) and sufficient ductility (~15%).
- Tong Li
- , Tianwei Liu
- & Lanhong Dai
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Article
| Open Access
Synergy of multiple precipitate/matrix interface structures for a heat resistant high-strength Al alloy
Coarsening of precipitates in medium and high temperatures causes reduction in strength of Al alloys. Here, the authors design an Al-Cu-Mg-Ag-Si-Sc alloy with multiple interface structures, showing an excellent combination of strength and heat resistance compared to conventional Al alloys.
- Qiang Lu
- , Jianchuan Wang
- & Yong Du
Inward motion of diamond nanoparticles inside an iron crystal