Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Wei Zhang, Xuefeng Lu, Junqiang Ren, Junchen Li, Hongtao Xue, Fuling Tang, Xin Guo
Summary: Solute element segregation behavior significantly affects the mechanical properties and deformation mechanism of nanocrystals. By using molecular dynamics, we investigated the effect of segregation structure on the deformation mechanism of NiCoAl nanocrystalline. The results reveal that complete segregation of Al within the grain leads to poor grain boundary stability and ineffective hindrance of dislocation movement, resulting in inferior mechanical properties. However, when 4% of Al transitions to the grain boundary, the stability improves significantly, generating lamination structures that effectively strengthen the nanocrystals.
CRYSTAL GROWTH & DESIGN
(2023)
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Carl E. Krill, Elizabeth A. Holm, Jules M. Dake, Ryan Cohn, Karolina Holikova, Fabian Andorfer
Summary: Abnormal grain growth can take on various shapes and can provide insights into the underlying mechanism. By simulating the growth of abnormal grains, we observe characteristic features in the abnormal/matrix interface that are influenced by the anisotropies in grain boundary mobility and energy. However, the mechanism for establishing and maintaining the growth advantage of abnormal grains as they advance through the matrix remains unclear.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF MATERIALS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Tianjiao Lei, Mingjie Xu, Jungho Shin, Daniel S. Gianola, Timothy J. Rupert
Summary: Unique nanorod precipitates with a core-shell structure are found to nucleate from the grain boundaries of a bulk nanocrystalline Al-Ni-Y alloy. The local structure and chemistry of these features during annealing are studied. As annealing time increases, more nanorods transform to an ordered structure while the shell chemistry transitions from Y-rich to Ni-rich. The correlation between the nanorods and amorphous complexions is observed.
SCRIPTA MATERIALIA
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Hanqing Liu, Xiaohong Shao, Kai Tan, Zhenjie Teng, Yaohan Du, Lang Li, Qingyuan Wang, Qiang Chen
Summary: The coupling effects of fretting wear and cyclic stress can lead to significant fatigue strength degradation and unanticipated catastrophic fractures. The mechanism of microstructural evolutions caused by fretting wear remains unclear, hindering the understanding of fretting fatigue issues and endangering the long-term reliability of structures.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
W. Streit Cunningham, Khalid Hattar, Yuanyuan Zhu, Danny J. Edwards, Jason R. Trelewicz
Summary: The study investigates the role of dopants in controlling defect annihilation behavior in nanocrystalline W alloy, with titanium stabilizing the nanostructure against irradiation induced grain growth. The findings suggest that titanium enhances the grain boundary sink strength for defects through transient stages of accumulation and recovery.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Sayantan Mondal, Amlan Dutta
Summary: This study presents a strategy based on Bayesian optimization to produce simulated nanocrystalline samples by minimizing the relative error between the computed and targeted grain boundary energy. Analysis of the optimized samples reveals that an increase in the average grain boundary energy primarily results from an increase in the fractions of grain boundary atoms with very low and very high free volumes.
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Ricardo H. R. Castro
Summary: This paper presents the role of interfacial energies in understanding and controlling nanocrystalline complex oxides, and the intentional modification of interfacial energies through ionic doping. It introduces a new perspective on systematically understanding the role of interfacial energies in microstructural control, especially in nanocrystalline processing.
CURRENT OPINION IN SOLID STATE & MATERIALS SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Shiwei Li, Pengkun Liu, Jiafen Song, Wei Guo, Jiangtao Xiong, Jinglong Li
Summary: This study investigates the microstructural characteristics and mechanical response of diffusion-bonded joints in Inconel 617 superalloy. The joints exhibit two types of interfaces - a straight interface composed of gamma-Ni, M23C6 carbide, and alpha-Al2O3 oxide, and an interface with partial migration of grain boundaries. Grain boundary migration is mainly caused by dynamic recrystallization and strain-induced migration. The straight interface restricts grain boundary slipping and leads to crack initiation, while the migrated interface effectively prevents crack propagation and induces crack deflection, resulting in more uniform plastic deformation. However, the impact toughness of the joints is significantly lower than that of the base metal due to the presence of the straight interface.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Min-Yeong Choi, Chang-Won Choi, Dong-Yeong Kim, Moon-Ho Jo, Yong-Sung Kim, Si-Young Choi, Cheol-Joo Kim
Summary: We propose a method using sodium molybdate liquid alloys to control atomic defects at grain boundaries of monolayer MoS2. The Mo-rich environment in the alloys leads to the formation of Mo-polar 5|7 defects with a yield exceeding 95%. The photoluminescence (PL) intensity of VLS-grown polycrystalline MoS(2) films is enhanced due to the suppression of nonradiative recombination of charged excitons with donor-type defects of adsorbed Na elements.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Koushik Sikdar, Avik Mahata, Barna Roy, Debdas Roy
Summary: Nanocrystalline alloy design with both 'thermodynamic' and 'kinetic' stabilisation mechanisms leads to superior microstructural stability at elevated temperatures. By synthesising a ternary Cu98.5W1Zr0.5 alloy using mechanical milling at cryogenic temperature followed by hot pressing at 550 degrees C, the potential of these mechanisms working together was assessed. The alloy exhibited only a slight decrease in hardness (about 0.5 GPa), confirming its stability up to 800 degrees C. The effects of alloy addition on microstructure were examined using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Mechanical properties were evaluated using shear punch test (SPT). The results indicate that this approach could be used to design bulk nanostructured alloys using a bottom-up method.
PHILOSOPHICAL MAGAZINE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Kiflom Gebremedhn Kelele, H. C. Ananda Murthy, Ruthramurthy Balachandran, Aschalew Tadesse, Yosef Nikodimos, Lemma Teshome Tufa, Jaebeom Lee
Summary: Both barium strontium titanate (BST) and its selenium doped sample were synthesized through a sol-gel method and their microstructural and morphological effects were studied. The addition of selenium affected the crystal size, lattice parameter, particle size, specific surface area, and morphology of the BST materials.
INORGANIC CHEMISTRY COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Xuefeng Lu, Wei Zhang, Junqiang Ren, Qing Gao, Hongtao Xue, Fuling Tang, Peiqing La, Xin Guo
Summary: Grain boundary movement is closely related to plastic deformation of materials. In this study, the introduction of carbon atoms formed a highly stable carbon chain network, which greatly enhanced the stability of the grain boundaries and showed strong dislocation pinning capability. The results revealed that an appropriate amount of carbon content increased the yield strength and tensile strength, while excessive carbon content inhibited the generation of dislocations and resulted in a decline in the mechanical properties of the alloy. This research provides a new strategy for grain boundary engineering by introducing non-metallic atoms.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY-JMR&T
(2023)
Article
Physics, Condensed Matter
Huining Zhao, Jingjing Wu, Xin Tang
Summary: In this study, the effects of Y substituted Ru and YRu-V-O complex on the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in RuO2 catalyst were revealed using density functional theory (DFT) calculation. The results showed that Y substituted Ru and YRu-V-O complex could effectively enhance the electrocatalytic performance of the catalyst.
PHYSICA B-CONDENSED MATTER
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Xuyang Zhou, Ankit Gupta, Garritt J. Tucker, Gregory B. Thompson
Summary: By controlling the annealing temperature and chemical composition, two distinct nanocrystalline stability mechanisms can be activated in the same Ni(P) alloy, including thermodynamic stabilization and Zener pinning. Each mechanism has its own advantages and disadvantages, with the thermodynamic mechanism yielding a more refined and stable grain size, while the Zener pinning mechanism provides higher pinning strength.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Georg Zagler, Maximilian Stecher, Alberto Trentino, Fabian Kraft, Cong Su, Andreas Postl, Manuel Laengle, Christian Pesenhofer, Clemens Mangler, E. Harriet Ahlgren, Alexander Markevich, Alex Zettl, Jani Kotakoski, Toma Susi, Kimmo Mustonen
Summary: Substituting heteroatoms into graphene can tune its properties for various applications. Recent discovery shows that covalent impurities in graphene can be manipulated at atomic precision. This study reports the vacancy-mediated substitution of aluminium into laser-cleaned graphene and investigates their dynamics under electron irradiation. The results show good agreement with predictions and reveal interesting findings.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Megan E. Jones, Andrew J. London, Andrew J. Breen, Paul D. Styman, Shyam Sikotra, Michael P. Moody, Daniel Haley
Summary: This study focuses on detecting and spatially locating hydrogen using deuterium tracers, and proposes new methods to analyze atom probe data in order to optimize quantification of deuterium concentrations by solving peak overlaps.
MICROSCOPY AND MICROANALYSIS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Keita Nomoto, Xiang-Yuan Cui, Andrew Breen, Anna Ceguerra, Ivan Perez-Wurfl, Gavin Conibeer, Simon P. Ringer
Summary: Thermal annealing temperature has a significant effect on the growth and dopant distribution of Si nanocrystals. Raising the annealing temperature promotes the growth and increased phosphorus concentration of Si nanocrystals, but does not affect the incorporation of boron atoms. Boron atoms tend to locate at the interface between Si nanocrystals and the SiO2 matrix. Oxygen vacancies play a crucial role in regulating the growth and dopant distribution of Si nanocrystals.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ying Liu, Xiangyuan Cui, Ranming Niu, Shujun Zhang, Xiaozhou Liao, Scott D. Moss, Peter Finkel, Magnus Garbrecht, Simon P. Ringer, Julie M. Cairney
Summary: High levels of plasticity and excellent elasticity were observed in a perovskite oxide material. The presence of oxygen vacancies played a crucial role in enabling the plastic deformation, which has significant implications for the design of plastic ceramic materials and flexoelectric-based nano-electromechanical systems.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Chen Shang, Matthew R. Begley, Daniel S. Gianola, John E. Bowers
Summary: This study combines models of dislocation motion and thin film channel cracking to solve the cracking issue caused by threading dislocation density in silicon photonic integrated circuits. The proposed solutions include increasing optical confinement and reducing total layer thickness.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
A. J. Breen, F. Theska, B. Lim, S. Primig, S. P. Ringer
Summary: A new experimental method is proposed to quantify the site-occupancy of substitutional solute elements in multi-component intermetallics. The method was applied to study the site-occupancy of the L12 ordered gamma' phase in different regions of an IN-738LC build. The results showed variations in site-occupancy ratios for different elements at different sites.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Jonathan D. Poplawsky, Rishi Pillai, Qing-Qiang Ren, Andrew J. Breen, Baptiste Gault, Michael P. Brady
Summary: Understanding the oxygen solubility in materials is crucial for designing oxidation resistant alloys. Atom Probe Tomography (APT) provides high chemical sensitivity and resolution, revealing the oxygen content within Ni metal and grain boundaries.
SCRIPTA MATERIALIA
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Tianjiao Lei, Mingjie Xu, Jungho Shin, Daniel S. Gianola, Timothy J. Rupert
Summary: Unique nanorod precipitates with a core-shell structure are found to nucleate from the grain boundaries of a bulk nanocrystalline Al-Ni-Y alloy. The local structure and chemistry of these features during annealing are studied. As annealing time increases, more nanorods transform to an ordered structure while the shell chemistry transitions from Y-rich to Ni-rich. The correlation between the nanorods and amorphous complexions is observed.
SCRIPTA MATERIALIA
(2022)
Article
Microscopy
A. J. Breen, A. C. Day, B. Lim, W. J. Davids, S. P. Ringer
Summary: In this study, a method was developed to enhance the contrast of poles and zone lines in atom probe data by plotting crystallographically correlated metrics. This method can be applied to a wide range of crystalline datasets where crystallographic information is not readily apparent from existing methods, and it helps to gain a deeper understanding of field evaporation behavior during atom probe experiments.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Matic Jovicevic-Klug, Levi Tegg, Patricia Jovicevic-Klug, Goran Drazic, Laszlo Almasy, Bryan Lim, Julie M. Cairney, Bojan Podgornik
Summary: Deep cryogenic treatment (DCT) is a promising green technology that can modify the properties of metallic materials. This study found that DCT can significantly improve the wear resistance of an Al-Mg-Si alloy without affecting other mechanical properties, due to slight hardness increase caused by microstructural modifications.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY-JMR&T
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jiehua Li, Xuyang Zhou, Andrew Breen, Zirong Peng, Jing Su, Philipp Kuernsteiner, Maria Jazmin Duarte Correa, Huiyuan Wang, David Holec, Joachim Mayer, Gerhard Dehm, Marta Lipinska Chwanek
Summary: The formation and transformation mechanisms of Ca-rich Laves phases in Mg-Al-Ca-Mn alloys were investigated, revealing the divorced eutectic reaction responsible for the formation of C36 Laves phase and Mg-rich particles, as well as the processes involved in the transformation from C36 to C15 Laves phase, such as Mg out-diffusion, Al partitioning, and changes in stacking sequences.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2022)
Article
Physics, Applied
Begona Abad, Kirstin Alberi, Katherine E. Ayers, Sushmee Badhulika, Chunmei Ban, Helene Bea, Fanny Beron, Julie Cairney, Jane P. Chang, Christine Charles, Mariadriana Creatore, Hui Dong, Jia Du, Renate Egan, Karin Everschor-Sitte, Cathy Foley, Anna Fontcuberta i Morral, Myung-Hwa Jung, Hyunjung Kim, Sarah Kurtz, Jieun Lee, Diana C. Leitao, Kristina Lemmer, Amy C. Marschilok, Bogdana Mitu, Bonna K. Newman, Roisin Owens, Anna-Maria Pappa, Youngah Park, Michelle Peckham, Liane M. Rossi, Sang-Hee Shim, Saima Afroz Siddiqui, Ji-Won Son, Sabina Spiga, Sedina Tsikata, Elisa Vianello, Karen Wilson, Hiromi Yuasa, Ilaria Zardo, Iryna Zenyuk, Yanfeng Zhang, Yudi Zhao
Summary: Women have made significant contributions to applied physics research and their involvement is crucial for ongoing progress. The Roadmap on Women in Applied Physics, written by female scientists and engineers, aims to celebrate their achievements, showcase established and early career researchers expanding boundaries in their fields, and increase visibility of women's impact on applied physics research. The topics covered include plasma materials processing and propulsion, super-resolution microscopy, bioelectronics, spintronics, superconducting quantum interference device technology, quantum materials, 2D materials, catalysis and surface science, fuel cells, batteries, photovoltaics, neuromorphic computing and devices, nanophotonics and nanophononics, and nanomagnetism. The intention is to inspire more women to enter these fields and foster inclusivity within the scientific community.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS D-APPLIED PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Ingrid E. McCarroll, Yu-Chen Lin, Alexander Rosenthal, Hung-Wei Yen, Julie M. Cairney
Summary: By using atom probe tomography, we investigated the relationship between hydrogen, carbon, and microstructural features in a dual precipitating low carbon martensitic steel. Our findings show that TiC and Cu precipitates act as trapping sites for hydrogen, while dislocations without carbon do not trap hydrogen. The order of trapping effectiveness for deuterium is TiC-decorated dislocations > high energy grain boundaries > low energy grain boundaries.
SCRIPTA MATERIALIA
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
P. Jovicevic-Klug, M. Jovicevic-Klug, L. Tegg, D. Seidler, L. Thormaehken, R. Parmar, M. Amati, L. Gregoratti, J. M. Cairney, J. McCord, M. Rohwerder, B. Podgornik
Summary: This study investigates the effect of deep cryogenic treatment on a high-alloyed ferrous alloy to understand the resulting changes in microstructure and properties. The increased solute mobility and carbide nucleation with deep cryogenic treatment lead to modified chemical and microstructural homogeneity, ultimately impacting the surface properties and applicability of the alloy.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY-JMR&T
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
L. M. Otter, K. Eder, M. R. Kilburn, L. Yang, P. O'Reilly, D. B. Nowak, J. M. Cairney, D. E. Jacob
Summary: The authors investigated the crystallization pathways involved in the formation of nacre and how they affect the incorporation of trace elements. They found that nacre grows through a two-step process and crystallizes through localised dissolution and reprecipitation. These findings provide insights into the incorporation of trace elements in natural biominerals and their hierarchical ultrastructure.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Ingrid E. McCarroll, Luke Daly, Lee F. White, Julie M. Cairney
Summary: Planetary scientists use the study of extraterrestrial materials to understand the evolution and place of our Solar System. The application of atom probe tomography (APT) in this field has provided valuable insights into cosmic events and enriched our knowledge of the Solar System's history.