Acta Materialia最新文献

{"title":"Coordination Number-Bandgap Relationships at Grain Boundaries in Battery Electrolytes","authors":"Amith Adoor Cheenady, Krishna Rajan","doi":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.122847","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2026.122847","url":null,"abstract":"Bandgap alteration at grain boundaries (GBs) in inorganic materials can significantly impact their practical applications. This study probes GBs in four inorganic solid electrolytes (ISEs), γ-Li<ce:inf loc=\"post\">3</ce:inf>PO<ce:inf loc=\"post\">4</ce:inf>, Na<ce:inf loc=\"post\">3</ce:inf>Zr<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>Si<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>PO<ce:inf loc=\"post\">12</ce:inf>, Li<ce:inf loc=\"post\">3</ce:inf>YCl<ce:inf loc=\"post\">6</ce:inf> and Li<ce:inf loc=\"post\">7</ce:inf>La<ce:inf loc=\"post\">3</ce:inf>Zr<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>O<ce:inf loc=\"post\">12</ce:inf>, and uncovers bandgap-coordination number relationships more complex than those noted in prior investigations. Over-coordination and under-coordination are seen to simultaneously occur in multiple chemical species at GBs, with atoms of the same chemical species exhibiting these modifications to different extents. We find features based on coordination numbers to provide insights into GB bandgap variations in the four ISEs. High-dimensional machine-learned representations of atomistic GB models are used to uncover these GB coordination-bandgap associations, and density functional theory-based density of states evaluations are then used to rationalize the findings.","PeriodicalId":238,"journal":{"name":"Acta Materialia","volume":"34 1","pages":"122847"},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149221646","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multiple phases growth dynamics of a recycled Al alloy under pulse magnetic fields – an operando study by the ESRF-EBS and multiphysics modelling","authors":"Ling Qin, Kang Xiang, Yueyuan Wang, Khareljoy Sungcad, Giovanni Fevola, Marta Majkut, Zhenggang Zhang, Haixing Fang, Robert Fischer, Jonathan Wright, Alexander Rack, Jiawei Mi","doi":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.122845","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2026.122845","url":null,"abstract":"Many previous studies have demonstrated that pulse magnetic field (PMF) is an effective technique for controlling the morphology and evolution of different phases of metallic alloys during the solidification processes. However, systematic knowledge and guidance on how to use PMF to alter or control the 3D microstructural evolution of complex intermetallic phases have not been established. Here, we used the ESRF Extremely Brilliant Source (EBS) to study in real time and in operando conditions the multiphase growth dynamics during solidification of a recycled Al alloy (Al5Cu1.5Fe1Si alloy, wt.%) under PMF. By analyzing systematically the ∼10 TB image and tomography data collected <ce:italic>in-situ</ce:italic>, complemented by multiphysics modelling of the PMF induced melt flow and stress fields, we have revealed and elucidated how an α-Fe phase nucleated heterogeneously on an α-Al dendrite, and how it grew into skeletal tetragonal prism with complex, interconnected 3D network. PMF was able to produce sufficient differential stresses into the platelet-shaped β-Fe phases and fracturing them via a cyclic fatigue mechanism in a few to hundreds of pulse cycles. The stresses produced were dependent on the peak magnetic flux and geometrical/morphological characteristics of the phases. PMF was able to change the solute boundary layers in the interdendritic regions, changing the local solute fluctuation and constitutional undercooling, and therefore changing the nucleation condition for Fe phases. These effects can be further explored for controlling and refining of the Fe phases in recycled Al alloys.","PeriodicalId":238,"journal":{"name":"Acta Materialia","volume":"3 1","pages":"122845"},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149221645","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Strength and thermal conductivity enhancement by solute substitution during laser powder bed fusion of NiWCo/Cu dissimilar alloy joint","authors":"Chenxu Lei, Xiaoke Wu, Jiang Yu, Wenlong Zhang, Ramasubramanian Lakshmi Narayan, Yaojie Wen, Boning Zhang, Lei Zheng, Lijun Zhang, Baicheng Zhang, Upadrasta Ramamurty, Xuanhui Qu","doi":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.122846","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2026.122846","url":null,"abstract":"Joints between Ni-based superalloys and copper, where the latter functions as a heat sink for high temperature applications, have poor structural integrity owing to the development of thermally induced strains and formation of brittle intermetallic compounds (IMCs) at their interfaces. In this study, a NiWCo/Cu joint based on a solute substitution strategy is fabricated using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). Microstructural analysis reveals that the NiWCo/Cu interface has a hierarchical microstructure that consists of sub-micron W particles embedded within a chemically heterogeneous Ni-Cu rich matrix. Mechanical tests indicate that the dissimilar alloy assembly deforms in the Cu portion, with a good combination of yield strength and elongation to failure. Transient thermal conductivity (κ) investigations indicate that it also has excellent heat dissipation characteristics that reduce the peak temperature in the NiWCo portion by ∼50 °C, compared to that in pristine NiWCo. These characteristics are attributed to the unique microstructural features of the interface which develop due to a thermodynamically driven solute substitution reaction at the NiWCo/Cu interface. Multi-phase simulations and phase equilibrium analysis are employed to explain the microstructural evolution. Contributions of the microstructural features to yield strength and the thermal resistance of the interface are quantitatively estimated. Finally, a critical appraisal of the solute-substitution strategy for enhancing the service temperature of high temperature components is provided.","PeriodicalId":238,"journal":{"name":"Acta Materialia","volume":"33 1","pages":"122846"},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149221647","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Shielding the Vulnerable: Enhanced Corrosion Resistance of Single-Atom Catalysts via Reaction-Driven Self-Protection Mechanism","authors":"Li Wan, Haijun Wang, Biao Zeng, Yuxiang Sun, Yubin Hu, Yizhou Li, Bohua Dong, Zhongyu Cui","doi":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.122842","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2026.122842","url":null,"abstract":"Single-atom catalysts can reduce platinum-group metal (PGM) use in proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers but are prone to aggregation and support corrosion. Here we demonstrate that anchoring Ru single atoms on acid-sensitive Mn<ce:inf loc=\"post\">3</ce:inf>O<ce:inf loc=\"post\">4</ce:inf> effectively shields the Mn<ce:inf loc=\"post\">3</ce:inf>O<ce:inf loc=\"post\">4</ce:inf> support from dissolution and prevents Ru migration. This dual protection stems from a feedback loop driven by rapid hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) kinetics. Ru atoms preferentially interact with oxygen-vacancy-rich sites in Mn<ce:inf loc=\"post\">3</ce:inf>O<ce:inf loc=\"post\">4</ce:inf>, contributing to defect passivation and forming robust Ru-O bonds that stabilize the isolated Ru sites. More importantly, ultrafast HER at Ru sites drive a continuous proton-pumping process, depleting interfacial protons and creating a localized less-acidic microenvironment, which reduces Mn<ce:inf loc=\"post\">3</ce:inf>O<ce:inf loc=\"post\">4</ce:inf> corrosion. The resulting Ru<ce:inf loc=\"post\">SA</ce:inf>/Mn<ce:inf loc=\"post\">3</ce:inf>O<ce:inf loc=\"post\">4</ce:inf> catalyst achieves exceptional acid HER performance with mass activity of 44.9 A mg<ce:inf loc=\"post\">Ru</ce:inf><ce:sup loc=\"post\">-1</ce:sup> at -50 mV and stability exceeding 500 hours. In a PEM electrolyzer, it delivers current densities of 1 and 3 A cm<ce:sup loc=\"post\">-2</ce:sup> at low voltages of 1.65 and 1.87 V, respectively, and maintains 0.5 A cm<ce:sup loc=\"post\">-2</ce:sup> for over 220 hours with minimal degradation (26.7 µV h<ce:sup loc=\"post\">-1</ce:sup>), using a total PGM loading of only 0.55 mg cm<ce:sup loc=\"post\">-2</ce:sup>. This self-protection strategy expands viable supports and enables ultra-low-PGM catalysts for cost-effective green hydrogen production via PEM electrolysis.","PeriodicalId":238,"journal":{"name":"Acta Materialia","volume":"82 1","pages":"122842"},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149221648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microbiologically influenced corrosion of metallic materials: microstructure, coupled degradation mechanisms, and protection","authors":"Boxin Wei, Tangqing Wu, Upadrasta Ramamurty","doi":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.122813","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2026.122813","url":null,"abstract":"Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) has conventionally been interpreted through microbial species, biofilm formation, extracellular electron transfer, and metabolite-driven chemistry. Recent significant advances in the fields of microbiology, electrochemistry, and interfacial characterization have enhanced understanding on the mechanisms of microorganism’s role in altering anodic dissolution, cathodic reactions, passive films, corrosion products, and local chemistry. However, the roles of alloy chemistry, microstructure, passive films, defects, and hydrogen transport govern the initiation, localization, and subsequent evolution of MIC remain insufficiently understood – an important aspect for engineering equipment, where localized corrosion, residual stress, cyclic loading, and hydrogen uptake act simultaneously and may drive the transition from surface attack to cracking. Keeping this in view, current understanding of the MIC mechanisms, with emphasis on the evolution of the biofilm–metal interphase, localized electrochemical gradients, microbial corrosion reactions, and electron transfer are summarized in this overview, with emphasis on mechanistic evidence. MIC across major metallic material classes are compared, which shows that alloy chemistry, phase constitution, inclusions, precipitates, grain boundaries, passive-film’s stability, weld heterogeneity, and corrosion-product structure determine where the MIC-induced damage initiates, whether it remains localized, and how hydrogen is transported and trapped. Microbiologically assisted cracking is summarized next, by linking biofilm-induced pitting with stress concentration, anodic dissolution, hydrogen entry, fatigue, stress corrosion cracking, and crack propagation. Recent advances in localized electrochemistry, cross-sectional microscopy, chemical imaging, isotopic tracing, and correlative characterization are then assessed, together with materials-oriented mitigation strategies based on antibacterial alloying, microstructure regulation, surface treatment, and functional coatings.","PeriodicalId":238,"journal":{"name":"Acta Materialia","volume":"12 1","pages":"122813"},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149084791","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Overcoming high-strength instability in magnesium-lithium alloys via concomitant precipitation of dual stable nano-phases","authors":"Lang Yu ,&nbsp;Mengran Zhou ,&nbsp;Yuxuan Chen ,&nbsp;Fan Ji ,&nbsp;Song Tang ,&nbsp;Yuhong Zhao ,&nbsp;Xiaopei Zhang ,&nbsp;Wenhan Yu ,&nbsp;Jing Dong ,&nbsp;Hongyan Xia ,&nbsp;Luqing Cui ,&nbsp;Qingyu Shi ,&nbsp;Huijun Kang ,&nbsp;Enyu Guo ,&nbsp;Mingxin Huang ,&nbsp;Jinchuan Jie ,&nbsp;Xiaoyan Li ,&nbsp;Tongzheng Xin","doi":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.122010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.122010","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Body-centered cubic Mg-Li-Al alloys are noted for their exceptional specific strength and ductility. However, the rapid coarsening of Mg₃Al nanoprecipitates formed after solution treatment and water quenching leads to significant strength degradation at room temperature. To suppress this instability, we propose an alloy composition optimization strategy that promotes the transformation of Mg₃Al into more stable semi-coherent Mg(Al, Zn, Ag)Li₂ precipitates, accompanied by the co-precipitation of Li-rich clusters at the interface. To systematically reveal the evolution pathway and underlying mechanisms of the D0₃-ordered precipitates under this compositional design, we employed a combined approach utilizing synchrotron X-ray diffraction and phase-field simulations. First-principles calculations confirm that the Mg(Al, Zn, Ag)Li₂ phase has a more negative formation enthalpy than the Mg₃Al phase, indicating greater stability at room temperature. The presence of Li-rich clusters helps retain the BCC structure of the alloy and suppresses the transformation of the matrix to HCP. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that Mg(Al, Zn, Ag)Li₂ and Li-rich clusters cooperatively induce an interfacial stress field, which hinders dislocation motion and enhances dislocation interactions, thereby significantly improving strength. Simultaneously, the Li-rich clusters reduce coherent interfacial stress and slow precipitate coarsening, effectively compensating for strength loss and maintaining excellent structural stability under high-strength conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":238,"journal":{"name":"Acta Materialia","volume":"308 ","pages":"Article 122010"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146152767","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"FCC-HCP phase transition in ultrathin gold films: A first-principles investigation","authors":"Jun Pei ,&nbsp;Tong Zhang ,&nbsp;Tao Liu ,&nbsp;Yuanbiao Tong ,&nbsp;Pan Wang ,&nbsp;Binglun Yin ,&nbsp;Yang Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.122000","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.122000","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Gold with the unconventional hexagonal close-packed (HCP) phase shows outstanding optical and mechanical properties, holding immense promises for optoelectronic applications. Ultrathin HCP gold films can be fabricated by reducing the thickness of the bulk face-centered cubic (FCC) precursor to a few nanometers, but the fundamental mechanism governing the thickness-dependent FCC→HCP phase transition remains insufficiently investigated. Herein, density functional theory (DFT) calculations and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) are employed to elucidate the physical origin of the FCC→HCP phase transition in ultrathin gold films. DFT calculations demonstrate that in-plane compressive strain is a determining factor in facilitating the FCC→HCP phase transition, with a critical in-plane compressive strain of 2 ∼ 3 % (corresponding to a lattice constant of ∼ 2.8 Å). HRTEM measurements confirm the accessibility of such compressive strain. The intrinsic compressive strain in gold thin films is approximately 1 % and becomes more pronounced as the thickness decreases. The extrinsic compressive strain may arise from residual strain and substrate epitaxial strain induced during the fabrication process. Further DFT study of the kinetics of the phase transition reveals that in-plane compressive strain effectively modulates the stacking fault energy and transition pathways. Our findings establish a foundation for the structural manipulation and fabrication of advanced nanometals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":238,"journal":{"name":"Acta Materialia","volume":"308 ","pages":"Article 122000"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146129477","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fragile-to-strong transition in liquid As2S3 under pressure: The effect of melt metallization","authors":"Vadim V. Brazhkin ,&nbsp;Oleg B. Tsiok ,&nbsp;Andrey Tverjanovich ,&nbsp;Takeshi Usuki ,&nbsp;Chris J. Benmore ,&nbsp;Maxim Khomenko ,&nbsp;Anton Sokolov ,&nbsp;Mohammad Kassem ,&nbsp;Daniele Fontanari ,&nbsp;Koji Ohara ,&nbsp;Eugene Bychkov","doi":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.122001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.122001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The well-known classification of glass-forming melts into fragile and strong liquids has several notable exceptions, including water, silica, and certain phase-change materials (PCMs). These exceptional fluid systems exhibit a fragile-to-strong transition (FST) upon cooling: a transformation from a high-temperature liquid with fast atomic dynamics, low viscosity, and low flow activation energy, to a viscous supercooled melt with high energy barriers near the glass transition temperature <span><math><msub><mi>T</mi><mi>g</mi></msub></math></span>. This behavior is critically important for non-volatile memories, photonic tensor cores, reconfigurable metamaterials, and other devices, that use PCMs, enabling nanosecond-scale crystallization in the fragile regime and long data retention in the strong regime near or below <span><math><msub><mi>T</mi><mi>g</mi></msub></math></span>. A significant structural transformation is expected between these two viscosity regimes, along with a semiconductor-metal (SC-M) transition upon heating, driven by high internal pressure and associated density increase. By applying high external pressure to the canonical low-conducting chalcogenide melt As₂S₃, we observed both the FST and the SC-M transition, occurring simultaneously within the same domain of the <span><math><mrow><mi>P</mi><mo>,</mo><mi>T</mi></mrow></math></span>−phase space. These findings suggest that the FST is not limited to a few exceptional liquids but is a common phenomenon, at least in systems that exhibit melt metallization within specific regions of their <span><math><mrow><mi>P</mi><mo>,</mo><mi>T</mi></mrow></math></span>−phase diagrams.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":238,"journal":{"name":"Acta Materialia","volume":"308 ","pages":"Article 122001"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146134244","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Magnetic and ferroelectric control over spontaneous valley polarization in ScO2RuCl-based room-temperature ferrovalley and multiferroic semiconductors","authors":"Hai-Nan Zhang ,&nbsp;Yun-Jing Zhao ,&nbsp;Bokai Zhang,&nbsp;Zhi-Yong Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.122013","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.122013","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The reversible manipulation of spontaneous room-temperature (RT) valley polarization bears great promise in nonvolatile information storage and processing, yet such experimental realization remains an unresolved challenge. By first-principles and Monte Carlo simulations, monolayer ScO<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span>RuCl is predicted to be an ideal ferrovalley semiconductor with robust Ising ferromagnetism above-RT against the in-plane biaxial strains reachable in experiments, whose nonvolatile valley polarization in the ultraclean limit higher one order of magnitude than RT thermal disturbance can be inverted by spin-flip transition. The spin–orbital coupling Hamiltonian quite well captures the switchable valley physics. More intriguingly, we appreciate convertible above-RT out-of-plane ferroelectric polarization through interlayer sliding in bistable <em>A</em>-type Ising antiferromagnetically coupled ScO<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span>RuCl bilayers with an ultralow switching barrier and an ultrahigh Néel temperature. Resultant giant sliding ferroelectricity can manipulate the saturated valley polarization unprecedentedly up to the monolayer limit in a reversible and nonvolatile means. These native RT merits are further found to be immune to moderate compressive strains along the out-of-plane direction. Overall, the switchable valley polarization in response to the direction of either magnetization or ferroelectricity under complicated mechanical environments endows the appealing ScO<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span>RuCl-based ferrovalley and multiferroic semiconductors with tremendous potential for direct commercial applications of RT polarized electronics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":238,"journal":{"name":"Acta Materialia","volume":"308 ","pages":"Article 122013"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146169727","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Harnessing laser-induced in-situ nanowhiskers for high-strength aluminum alloys via additive manufacturing","authors":"Haoran Yang ,&nbsp;Xiangren Bai ,&nbsp;Dongdong Zhao ,&nbsp;Junwei Sha ,&nbsp;Xudong Rong ,&nbsp;Zehao Rong ,&nbsp;Feng Qian ,&nbsp;Shiwei Pan ,&nbsp;Jianglin Lan ,&nbsp;Xiang Zhang ,&nbsp;Chunnian He ,&nbsp;Naiqin Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121987","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121987","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The crafting of lightweight and strong aluminum alloys by additive manufacturing has long relied on expensive metal elements like Sc, Zr etc. to achieve high strength, which severely hinders their widespread applications. Here we report a costly-element-free strategy that leverages the extreme thermal gradients and laser-induced recoil pressure in laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) to in situ synthesize dense and uniformly-dispersed MgAlB₄ nano-whiskers within Al alloy matrix. Featuring diameters of 5–15 nm and aspect ratios exceeding 20, the nano-whiskers efficaciously eliminate solidification cracking and porosity, enabling near-full densification (∼99.99%) and an ultrafine equiaxed grain structure (∼1.3 μm). Marked dislocation-whisker interactions are enabled by the high aspect ratios of the nano-whiskers and their robust interfacial bonding with the Al matrix. Quasi-continuous nano-whisker networks in matrix not only promote dislocation storage and multiplication, but also allows for dislocation bypassing perpendicular to the axial direction of whiskers. The alloy thus achieves an ultimate tensile strength of ∼610 MPa and a uniform elongation of ∼8.0%. This work offers a scalable pathway toward the design and development of cost-effective, high-performance aluminum alloys by additive manufacturing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":238,"journal":{"name":"Acta Materialia","volume":"308 ","pages":"Article 121987"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146129480","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}