Mengqi Gao , Donghui Wen , Zhaowen Huang , Fengyu Kong , Haojie Kong , Wenli Song , Qiang Li , Cong Zhang , Anding Wang , Chain-Tsuan Liu
{"title":"Achieving exceptionally high strength across a wide temperature range in a near-eutectic L12/B2 composite alloy via nano-sized η phase","authors":"Mengqi Gao , Donghui Wen , Zhaowen Huang , Fengyu Kong , Haojie Kong , Wenli Song , Qiang Li , Cong Zhang , Anding Wang , Chain-Tsuan Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.matchar.2025.115358","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matchar.2025.115358","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Excellent temperature-bearing capacity over a wide temperature rasnge is critical for elevated-temperature application. In this study, via a unique nano-particle precipitation hardening strategy, a novel near-eutectic Ni-19Al-15Ti alloy multi-composited with L1<sub>2</sub> and nano-sized η phase strengthened B2 intermetallics is developed, to improve the yield strength (YS) and ductility at room-medium temperature as well as to combine the superior microstructural stability and castability. The nano-sized η particles densely precipitated in the B2 phase can effectively strengthen the multi-fold composite structure, leading to the high hardness of 650 HV and super-high YS of about 1900 MPa at room-temperature. The samples also exhibit superior mechanic properties at high temperature, e.g., high YS of 790 MPa at 800 °C and compressive strain larger than 50 %. The superior mechanical properties can be attributed to the solution and precipitation strengthening effects as well as the synergistic deformation of composite structure. These results provide a paradigm for developing alloys with an excellent synergy of mechanic properties, temperature-bearing capability and castability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18727,"journal":{"name":"Materials Characterization","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 115358"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144605328","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zhaoxi Li , Yi Guo , Jiarong Zhang , Jiangtao Xiong , Wei Guo , Jinglong Li
{"title":"Thermal cycle coordination in diffusion bonding of TA37/TC19 alloys: microstructural and mechanical insights","authors":"Zhaoxi Li , Yi Guo , Jiarong Zhang , Jiangtao Xiong , Wei Guo , Jinglong Li","doi":"10.1016/j.matchar.2025.115369","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matchar.2025.115369","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To meet the stringent demands of next-generation aeroengines, this paper has developed solid diffusion-bonded joints potentially used in centrifugal impellers by joining the high-temperature titanium alloy TA37 to the high-strength alloy TC19. Given the intrinsic divergence in heat-treatment requirements between two alloys—where TA37 relies on high-temperature solution treatment while TC19 demands precise aging to refine α/β lamellae—we systematically compared two diffusion bonding protocols with a basic process of 860 °C, 20 MPa for 60 min. The first strategy utilized as-received wrought base materials without additional processing, representing conventional industrial practice. In contrast, the other implemented a harmonized thermal sequence: TA37 underwent pre-bonding solution treatment (1033 °C/2 h, WQ) to activate nano-silicide formation, while TC19 received post-bonding solution-aging (930 °C/2 h, AQ + 593 °C/8 h, AC) to preserve phase stability. This coordinated approach aimed to reconcile the alloys' conflicting thermal histories and mitigate interfacial degradation. We systematically characterized the joints' interfacial morphology, microstructure evolution, and mechanical behavior using SEM, TEM, EBSD, EPMA, nanoindentation, and in-situ tensile testing. In both cases, a diffusion-affected zone approximately 10 μm thick formed at the interface, within which the TC19 alloy developed a duplex α + β structure. Crucially, the heat-treatment-modified joint achieved a tensile strength of 1076 MPa, significantly higher than the 959 MPa measured for the joint bonded using as-wrought materials. In-situ tensile experiments revealed that deformation proceeds via cooperative yielding of the α and β phases across the bonded region, confirming that the modified thermal cycle promotes uniform load sharing and suppresses localized strain concentrations. Together, these results demonstrate that integrating pre- and post-bonding heat treatments with the diffusion-bonding cycle markedly enhances joint performance. This work thus provides a practical framework for optimizing heat-treatment schedules in the diffusion bonding of dissimilar titanium alloys, laying a foundation for designing high-performance dual-alloy components in advanced aeroengine architectures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18727,"journal":{"name":"Materials Characterization","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 115369"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144611755","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ke Han , Yunhu Cao , Rui Han , Xiaopeng Li , Yinchao Feng , Jinping Liu , Jinxin Ren , Haitao Wei , Jianguo Ma
{"title":"Effect of TiB2/2024Al composite filler on the microstructure and mechanical properties of SiCp/2024Al composites welded joint by laser welding","authors":"Ke Han , Yunhu Cao , Rui Han , Xiaopeng Li , Yinchao Feng , Jinping Liu , Jinxin Ren , Haitao Wei , Jianguo Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.matchar.2025.115344","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matchar.2025.115344","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The laser welding quality of SiC-reinforced aluminum matrix composites (SiC<sub>p</sub>/Al) is constrained by the formation of Al<sub>4</sub>C<sub>3</sub> phase resulting from the interfacial reactions, which inhibits the applications in aerospace, marine, and automotive industries. The surface forming, microstructure evolution, and mechanical properties of SiC<sub>p</sub>/2024Al joints with the different thicknesses of TiB<sub>2</sub>/2024Al filler (0–1 mm) were analyzed in this work. The results indicate that the addition of TiB<sub>2</sub>/2024Al filler reduces the welding defects such as porosity. Due to the higher affinity between Ti and C atoms, the blocky TiC precipitates in the weld zone (WZ), replacing the Al<sub>4</sub>C<sub>3</sub> phase. As a result, the tensile strength of SiC<sub>p</sub>/2024Al joints firstly increases and then decreases with the increased thickness of TiB<sub>2</sub>/2024Al filler. Compared with the traditional SiC<sub>p</sub>/2024Al joints without filler, the SiC<sub>p</sub>/2024Al joints with 0.7 mm filler increase to the maximum value, about 268 MPa and 73 % of SiC<sub>p</sub>/2024Al base material (BM). The addition of TiB<sub>2</sub>/2024Al filler significantly enhanced the mechanical properties of the welded joints.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18727,"journal":{"name":"Materials Characterization","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 115344"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144605329","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Youcai Qiu , Xiaofang Yang , Xi Chen , Lu Wang , Shihua Xiang , Junyao Xu , Robert E. Sanders
{"title":"Recrystallization behaviors of AlMgScZr alloys with different Al3(Sc,Zr) dispersoid distribution","authors":"Youcai Qiu , Xiaofang Yang , Xi Chen , Lu Wang , Shihua Xiang , Junyao Xu , Robert E. Sanders","doi":"10.1016/j.matchar.2025.115361","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matchar.2025.115361","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the recrystallization behavior of Sc/Zr-modified AA5182 alloy sheet focusing on the role of Al<sub>3</sub>(Sc,Zr) dispersoid distribution during annealing across a broad temperature range (250–550 °C). It shows that densely distributed Al<sub>3</sub>(Sc,Zr) dispersoids effectively inhibit recrystallization up to 450 °C by exerting strong Zener pinning pressure, and extremely suppress particle-stimulated nucleation (PSN). By contrast, at temperatures as low as 350 °C, a sparse distribution of dispersoids exhibits diminished recrystallization resistance and fails to inhibit PSN. While Al<sub>3</sub>(Sc,Zr) dispersoids maintain excellent thermal stability below 450 °C, rapid coarsening/dissolution occurs above this threshold, triggering abnormal grain growth via strain-induced boundary migration (SIBM) in high-density dispersoid-containing alloys. HRTEM characterization reveals that dispersoid-matrix coherency evolves dynamically during grain boundary (GB) interactions: low-angle GBs (LAGBs) encounter dispersoids, leading to semi-coherency by the introduction of misfit dislocations. High-angle GBs (HAGBs) bypass dispersoids, resulting in incoherency at the Al<sub>3</sub>(Sc,Zr)/Al interface.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18727,"journal":{"name":"Materials Characterization","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 115361"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144588952","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M.N. Xu , H.W. Ma , L.R. Xiao , B. Gao , X.F. Chen , Y.D. Sui , H. Zhou
{"title":"Heterogeneous plastic deformation and crack passivation behaviors influenced by phase morphology in Mg-Li alloys","authors":"M.N. Xu , H.W. Ma , L.R. Xiao , B. Gao , X.F. Chen , Y.D. Sui , H. Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.matchar.2025.115360","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matchar.2025.115360","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Magnesium-lithium (Mg-Li) alloys, known for their high specific strength, are highly attractive for lightweight structural applications. For dual-phase Mg-Li alloy, the small adjustment of Li content will result in a huge difference in the mechanical properties and microstructures. In this study, the effects of lithium (Li) addition on grain refinement and deformation mechanism were investigated in dual-phase Mg-Li alloys. <em>In situ</em> tensile testing combined with digital image correlation (DIC) analysis reveals that refinement of α-phase grains enhances plastic deformation and reduces strain localization. The α1 phases in Mg-8Li alloys, with an average width of 52.8 μm, are more susceptible to yielding than the α2 and α3 phases, which have average widths of 1.34 μm and 0.66 μm, respectively. In contrast, Mg-9Li avoids coarse α1 phases, resulting in delayed yield. Additionally, cracks in β phases of Mg-9Li alloys are consistently obstructed by the α2 and α3 phases, enhancing toughness by preventing direct shear fractures. Substantial α-phase grain refinement dissipates stress concentrations at crack tips, promoting crack tip passivation and a shift to fully ductile fracture behavior. The insights gained from these results will improve our understanding of the deformation behavior and guide the development of toughened dual-phase heterostructured Mg-based alloys.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18727,"journal":{"name":"Materials Characterization","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 115360"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144611754","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Z.Q. Wang , Y.S. Yu , X.K. Li , C.J. Shang , R.D.K. Misra
{"title":"Unveiling the crystallographic mechanism of molybdenum on enhancing hardenability in boron-containing steels","authors":"Z.Q. Wang , Y.S. Yu , X.K. Li , C.J. Shang , R.D.K. Misra","doi":"10.1016/j.matchar.2025.115355","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matchar.2025.115355","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper employs crystallographic quantification and visualization research methods to investigate the crystallographic mechanisms of the influence of molybdenum (Mo) content on the hardenability of boron-containing steels. Two steels with distinct Mo contents were designed to evaluate phase transformation kinetics and resultant hardness via Rockwell hardness measurements. Results demonstrate that the crystallographic mechanism on enhancing hardenability of elevated Mo contents is by fostering the preferential formation of high-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs) between specific crystallographic variants (V1/V6, V1/V9&19, V1/V12&20, V1/V15&23, V1/V17, V1/V18&22). To assess the transmission ability for a dislocation to pass through a grain boundary (GB), a slip transmission factor (N) is introduced. The inter-variant boundaries of V1/V6, V1/V9&19, V1/V12&20, V1/V15&23, V1/V17, and V1/V18&22 exhibit exceptional resistance due to their low slip transmission factors and large misorientation angles to slip transfer at GBs, directly amplifying macroscopic hardness through dislocation obstruction mechanisms. While V1/V2 and V1/V7 pairs dominate in boundary density across both steels, their negligible contribution to hardness arises from inherently low slip resistance (twelve slip systems for V1/V2 pair and six for V1/V7 pair share identical slip transmission factors close to 1.0 and common misorientation angles), highlighting the critical role of interfacial barrier efficacy over boundary abundance. Notably, the hardening effect correlates nonlinearly with HAGB density due to the heterogeneous slip-inhibiting capabilities of distinct boundary types. Furthermore, the crystallographic origin of variant pairs—whether derived from the same CP group or not—proves irrelevant to hardness enhancement, underscoring the primacy of boundary misorientation characteristics in governing strain accommodation behavior.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18727,"journal":{"name":"Materials Characterization","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 115355"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144588951","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yunzhen Li , Yongsheng Liu , Jie Ren , Jingxin Li , Yejie Cao , Zbigniew Pedzich
{"title":"Improved water‑oxygen corrosion resistance of SiCf/SiC composites modified with SiYBC matrix","authors":"Yunzhen Li , Yongsheng Liu , Jie Ren , Jingxin Li , Yejie Cao , Zbigniew Pedzich","doi":"10.1016/j.matchar.2025.115353","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matchar.2025.115353","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In order to address the water‑oxygen corrosion problem of SiC<sub>f</sub>/SiC composites, SiC<sub>f</sub>/SiC-SiYBC composites were fabricated via chemical vapour infiltration (CVI) combined with reactive melt infiltration (RMI) process. After RMI, SiC<sub>f</sub>/SiC-SiYBC composite basically reaches densification, with the density of 2.99 g/cm<sup>3</sup> and open porosity of 3.05 vol%. The SiYBC matrix consists of reaction zones and residual alloy and is mainly composed of B<sub>12</sub>(C,Si,B)<sub>3</sub>, YSi<sub>2</sub>, SiC, Si and YB<sub>4</sub>. The formation mechanism of SiYBC matrix is discussed. The flexural strength and fracture toughness of SiC<sub>f</sub>/SiC-SiYBC composite is 508.3 MPa and 26.30 MPa·m<sup>1/2</sup> respectively, which is higher than other matrix-modified ceramic matrix composites reported. After oxidation in water‑oxygen environment at 1400 °C for 100 h, yttrium silicate was formed in situ and the oxide layer protected the composite effectively, with the flexural strength retention rate of 84.5 %. This study provides a novel way to product high-density ceramic matrix composites with excellent water‑oxygen resistance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18727,"journal":{"name":"Materials Characterization","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 115353"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144596055","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zhanghui Li , Jiawei Guo , Jingqi Liang , Yixuan Jin , Ying Chen , Rong Jiang , Jiantao Liu , Yingdong Song
{"title":"Effects of phase angle and dwell time on the thermo-mechanical fatigue behavior of an advanced turbine disk alloy","authors":"Zhanghui Li , Jiawei Guo , Jingqi Liang , Yixuan Jin , Ying Chen , Rong Jiang , Jiantao Liu , Yingdong Song","doi":"10.1016/j.matchar.2025.115356","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matchar.2025.115356","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, the effects of phase angle and dwell time on thermal-mechanical fatigue (TMF) of a new-generation nickel-based powder metallurgy superalloy FGH4108, used for aeroengine turbine disks were studied along with detailed micro-characterization of fracture features and deformation substructures. The results indicate that the high density of dislocations and stacking faults (SFs) formed in the in-phase TMF tests cause cyclic softening during tensile half-cycle and cyclic hardening during compressive half-cycle. For the out-of-phase TMF tests, the low density of dislocations and SFs which is associated with dislocation annihilation at the highest temperature but the minimum applied mechanical strain leads to cyclic softening during tensile half-cycle and insignificant cyclic hardening during compressive half-cycle. The combined effect of high temperature and high applied mechanical strain in the in-phase TMF tests promote grain boundary deformation and oxidation, leading to mixed transgranular and intergranular crack initiation and propagation, especially when a dwell is introduced at the peak temperature and load, while cracks mainly are transgranular in the out-of-phase TMF tests. The TMF life under the investigated conditions is predominantly influenced by the crack propagation process, the much lower maximum tensile stress in the in-phase TMF tests contribute to much longer life of the in-phase non-dwell test compared with that of the out-of-phase TMF tests.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18727,"journal":{"name":"Materials Characterization","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 115356"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144605281","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bingbing Cai , Mingju Chen , Biao Chen , Jie Wan , Jianghua Shen , Katsuyoshi Kondoh , Jinshan Li
{"title":"Developing pure titanium with 1 GPa tensile strength and 24 % elongation by interstitial oxygen doping","authors":"Bingbing Cai , Mingju Chen , Biao Chen , Jie Wan , Jianghua Shen , Katsuyoshi Kondoh , Jinshan Li","doi":"10.1016/j.matchar.2025.115362","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matchar.2025.115362","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Interstitial oxygen in the octahedral sites, could strengthen titanium (Ti) and its alloys efficiently. However, oxygen tends to segregate along matrix grain boundaries, which could cause severe embrittlement. Herein, we utilized a plenary ball milling process to gradually introduce oxygen into pure Ti, which was found to be capable of doping up to 0.63 wt% of equivalent interstitial oxygen ([O]<sub>eq</sub> = [O] + 2[N], in wt%) into the Ti matrix homogeneously. Tensile tests revealed that the Ti<img>O with 0.63 wt% of [O]<sub>eq</sub> exhibited an excellent ductility of 24.2 % in elongation and high tensile strength of 1018 MPa, which results in a high strengthening efficiency of 624 MPa per wt% of [O]<sub>eq</sub>. A quantitative analysis on strengthening mechanism further confirmed the superior strengthening effect of interstitial oxygen via solid solution strengthening. This study may provide guidance for the development of high-performance yet cost-effective Ti materials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18727,"journal":{"name":"Materials Characterization","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 115362"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144589107","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M.T. Rosa , M.L. Matias , D. Bento , M. Morais , A. Pimentel , J. Deuermeier , J. Rodrigues , T. Monteiro , R. Martins , H.V. Almeida , E. Fortunato , D. Nunes
{"title":"Defective cubic-ZrO2 nanomaterials stabilized with calcium under microwave irradiation","authors":"M.T. Rosa , M.L. Matias , D. Bento , M. Morais , A. Pimentel , J. Deuermeier , J. Rodrigues , T. Monteiro , R. Martins , H.V. Almeida , E. Fortunato , D. Nunes","doi":"10.1016/j.matchar.2025.115359","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matchar.2025.115359","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The present study focuses on the sustainable synthesis of zirconium dioxide (zirconia, ZrO<sub>2</sub>) nanopowders using calcium (Ca) as a stabilizing element and microwave irradiation, eliminating the need for any post-synthesis treatment. The addition of different amounts of calcium (3, 7, and 10 mol%) influenced the ZrO<sub>2</sub> phase transformation and further stabilization of cubic ZrO<sub>2</sub>. The synthesized nanopowders have been analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), as well as by ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopies. Defective cubic ZrO<sub>2</sub> nanocrystals (∼6 nm) were observed (10 mol% of Ca), featuring atomic lattice distortions and surface step defects. The higher amount of Ca also revealed an additional yellow luminescence band on PL, which can be related to intrinsic defects or impurities. The defective ZrO₂ nanopowder exhibited an enhanced specific surface area of 151.62 m<sup>2</sup>/g, which was attributed to the presence of smaller nanocrystals associated with structural defects. As a proof of concept, the nanopowder with 10 mol% Ca was impregnated into commercial water filters to be evaluated as sustainable and cost-effective photocatalysts for the removal of tetracycline from water under solar radiation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18727,"journal":{"name":"Materials Characterization","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 115359"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144596056","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}