The microstructural evolution inside adiabatic shear bands in Fe–Cr–Ni alloys dynamically deformed (strain rates > 104 s−1) by the collapse of an explosively driven, thick-walled cylinder under prescribed strain conditions was examined by electron backscatter diffraction. The observed structure within the bands consisted of both equiaxed and elongated grains with a size of ∼200 nm. These fine microstructures can be attributed to recrystallization; it is proposed that the elongated grains may be developed simultaneously with localized deformation (dynamic recrystallization), and the equiaxed grains may be formed subsequently to deformation (static recrystallization). These recrystallized structures can be explained by a rotational recrystallization mechanism.

Ternary Sn-In-Cu alloys are prepared and equilibrated at 250 °C for 2 to 20 weeks. The phases formed in these alloys are experimentally determined. The 250 °C Sn-In-Cu isothermal section is established according to the phase equilibrium information obtained in this study and that of the three constituent binary systems. It has eight single-phase regions, namely liquid, δ1-Cu41Sn11, ε-Cu3Sn, δ2-Cu7In3, η-(Cu6Sn5, Cu2In), Cu11In9, Cu2In3Sn, and α-(Cu) phases, 14 two-phase regions, and seven three-phase regions. In the Sn-In-Cu system at 250 °C, the η-Cu6Sn5 and η-Cu2In phases form a continuous solid solution and the ternary Cu2In3Sn compound is observed. The δ1-Cu41Sn11 phase is stabilized at 250 °C with the introduction of indium although it transforms into α-(Cu) and ε-Cu3Sn phases via a eutectoid reaction around 350 °C in the binary Sn-Cu system. Except for the Cu11In9 phase and the Cu2In3Sn ternary compound, the other binary compounds all have significant indium and tin mutual solubilities.

An Sn-patch formed in Ni(V)-based under bump metallization during reflow and aging. To elucidate the evolution of the Sn-patch, the detailed compositions and microstructure in Sn–Ag–Cu and Ti/Ni(V)/Cu joints were analyzed by a field emission electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) and transmission electron microscope (TEM), respectively. There existed a concentration redistribution in the Sn-patch, and its microstructure also varied with aging. The Sn-patch consisted of crystalline Ni and an amorphous Sn-rich phase after reflow, whereas V2Sn3 formed with amorphous an Sn-rich phase during aging. A possible formation mechanism of the Sn-patch was proposed.

The phase equilibria at 300, 400, 500, and 600 °C in the Ag–Bi–Ni system and 300, 400, and 500 °C in the Cu–Bi–Ni system were experimentally determined by metallography and electron probe microanalysis on equilibrated alloys and diffusion couples. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to measure the temperatures of phase transformations. All the experimental results show that the solubilities of the ternary elements of the binary intermetallic compounds in the Ag–Bi–Ni system are limited. However, the binary intermetallic compounds have some solubilities of the ternary elements in the Cu–Bi–Ni system. No ternary intermetallic compound was found in the Ag–Bi–Ni and Cu–Bi–Ni systems. On the basis of the determined results, the phase equilibria in the Ag–Bi–Ni and Cu–Bi–Ni systems were thermodynamically assessed, and reasonable agreement between the calculated results and experimental data was obtained.

Directional recrystallization of an Fe–6.5wt%Si alloy was investigated by changing hot zone temperatures and growth rates. Elongated (columnar) grains with an aspect ratio more than 10 can be produced when growth parameters are carefully adjusted. It was found that at a fixed growth rate, the grain length and aspect ratio increase with increased hot zone temperatures. At a fixed hot zone temperature, there is a critical growth rate at which columnar grains have the largest average aspect ratio. Below or above this growth rate, the aspect ratio decreases. Texture and grain orientation analysis showed that the preferentially selective growth to form columnar grains was favored by the formation of low-energy surfaces and grain boundaries.

Microstructural changes and phase transformations of an electropulsing-treated (EPT) ZA22 alloy wire were studied using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron-microscopy techniques. Two stages of phase transformation were detected in the EPT alloy: (i) quenching from the as furnace-cooled (FC) state to the final stable state and (ii) up-quenching from the final stable state back to the as FC state through two reverse phase transformations: T′ + η → α + ε and η′T + ε + α → η′FC. Electropulsing accelerated phase transformation tremendously. It was at least 1200 times faster than the aging process. The mechanism of the electropulsing-induced phase transformations is discussed from the point of view of Gibbs free energy and electropulsing kinetics.

The grain refinement effect of a pulsed magnetic field on superalloy K417 was studied. The experimental results show that fine equiaxed grains are acquired with proper thermal control under the pulsed magnetic field. The refinement effect of the pulsed magnetic field is affected by the melt cooling rate and the melt superheating. The refinement effect of the pulsed magnetic field is attributed to the dissociation of nuclei from the mold wall by melt vibration and the subsequent dispersion of nuclei by melt convection. The Joule heat and the melt convection caused by the pulsed magnetic field may defer the formation of solidified shell, which prolongs the continuous refinement process. The decrease of melt cooling rate reduces the number of nuclei produced on the mold wall but prolongs the duration for the nuclei to depart from the mold wall and disperse in the melt, which enhances the refinement effect of the pulsed magnetic field. The increase of melt superheating lessens the survival probability of the nuclei in the melt, which weakens the refinement effect of the pulsed magnetic field.

In this work, the correlation between magnetic-domain structure and microstructure in combined reaction-processed equiatomic L10 FePd has been investigated using magnetic force microscopy. The microstructure consisted of approximately equiaxed grains with an average grain size of ∼1 μm and a grain size distribution ranging from below the theoretical critical domain size (Dcrit∼0.2–0.3 μm) up to approximately 5 μm in diameter. The domain structure was characterized as “mixed” in nature, consisting of smaller single-domain grains, larger multidomain grains, and a larger scale interaction domain structure encompassing many grains. The domain boundaries separating interaction domains tended to lie along grain boundaries, and it is proposed that the observed interaction domains should be considered in descriptions of the magnetization and magnetization reversal behavior of this material. In particular, pinning of interaction domain walls by intragranular features of the microstructure such as grain boundaries and single-domain grains could play a role in the measured coercivities.

A constitutive theory for metallic glasses is established that is based mainly on the Drucker-Prager model and a free-volume theory. The primary emphasis of this theory is on volume dilatation and its consequences on mechanical responses in metallic glasses that have been known from studies in both experiments and atomistic simulations. We also implemented the constitutive theory in a finite element modeling scheme and conducted numerical modeling of deformation of a metallic glass under plane-strain tension and compression. In particular, we focused our attention on the deviation of the shear band inclination angle, a commonly observed phenomenon for metallic glasses. We found very good qualitative agreement with available experimental data on shear band inclination angle and stress-strain relation. We also give a detailed discussion on different constitutive models, in particular the Coulomb-Mohr model, in the context of predicting the shear band inclination angle.

Instrumented indentation experiments on a Zr-based bulk metallic glass (BMG) in as-cast, shot-peened and structurally relaxed conditions were conducted to examine the dependence of plastic deformation on its structural state. Results show significant differences in hardness, H, with structural relaxation increasing it and shot peening markedly reducing it, and slightly changed morphology of shear bands around the indents. This effect is in contrast to uniaxial compressive yield strength, σy, which remains invariant with the change in the structural state of the alloys investigated. The plastic constraint factor, C = H/σy, of the relaxed BMG increases compared with that of the as-cast glass, indicating enhanced pressure sensitivity upon annealing. In contrast, C of the shot-peened layer was found to be similar to that observed in crystalline metals, indicating that severe plastic deformation could eliminate pressure sensitivity. Microscopic origins for this result, in terms of shear transformation zones and free volume, are discussed.

We investigated the epitaxial growth of CoSi2 (100) on an Si (100) substrate using a modified oxide mediated epitaxy (OME) method to overcome the disadvantages of the OME method. These disadvantages are sensitivity of Co films to contamination by oxygen and the need for reiterating the film growth process to obtain thicker films. To solve these problems, nitrogen atoms were incorporated into chemically grown oxide (SiOx) by NH3 plasma treatment prior to the deposition of a Co film on the oxynitride buffer layer using the metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) method. Subsequently, ex situ rapid thermal annealing was performed to grow Co-silicide at a temperature between 400 °C and 700 °C for 1 min. The results show that the diffusion of Co was effectively controlled by the oxynitride buffer layer without the formation of additional SiOx in between Co and Si. Our findings indicate that by using an oxynitride buffer layer, CoSi2 films can be grown epitaxially despite the fact that the initial Co film was exposed to oxygen.

Magnesium alloys are potential materials in biodegradable hard tissue implants. Their degradation products in the physiological environment not only affect the degradation process but also influence the biological response of bone tissues. In the work reported here, the composition and structure of the corrosion product layer on AZ91 magnesium alloy soaked in a simulated physiological environment, namely simulated body fluids (SBFs), are systematically investigated using secondary electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and in situ monitoring of the corrosion morphology. Our results show that the corrosion product layer comprises mainly amorphous magnesium (calcium) phosphates, magnesium (calcium) carbonates, magnesium oxide/hydroxide, and aluminum oxide/hydroxide. The magnesium phosphates preferentially precipitate at obvious corrosion sites and are present uniformly in the corrosion product layer, whereas calcium phosphates nucleate at passive sites first and tend to accumulate at isolated and localized sites. According to the cross sectional views, the corrosion product layer possesses a uniform structure with thick regions several tens of micrometers as well as thin areas of several micrometers in some areas. Localized corrosion is the main reason for the nonuniform structure as indicated by the pan and cross-sectional views. The results provide valuable information on the cytotoxicity of magnesium alloys and a better understanding on the degradation mechanism of magnesium alloys in a physiological environment.

LiBH4/Al mixtures with various mol ratios were prepared by ball milling. The hydrogen storage properties of the mixtures were evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry/thermogravimetry analyses coupled with mass spectrometry measurements. The phase compositions and chemical state of elements for the LiBH4/Al mixtures before and after hydrogen desorption and absorption reactions were assessed via powder x-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Dehydrogenation results revealed that LiBH4 could react with Al to form AlB2 and AlLi compounds with a two-step decomposition, resulting in improved dehydrogenation. The rehydrogenation experiments were investigated at 600 °C with various H2 pressure. It was found that intermediate hydride was formed firstly at a low H2 pressure of 30 atm, while LiBH4 could be reformed completely after increasing the pressure to 100 atm. Absorption/desorption cycle results showed that the dehydrogenation temperature increased and the hydrogen capacity degraded with the increase of cycle numbers.

Conducting nylon 6 fibers were prepared by in situ polymerization of aniline on to the fiber surface, after providing a chemical etching treatment to the fibers using chromic acid. The properties of the etched and polyaniline (PANI) coated fibers were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry, and differential scanning calorimetry. Though the etching process caused a marginal decline in the mechanical properties of the fiber, it provided a reasonably rough surface for PANI adhesion and enhanced the conductivity of the fiber. The conductivity increased from 4.22 × 10−2 to 3.72 × 10−1 S/cm at an etching time of 4 h.