Scripta MaterialiaPub Date : 2025-07-01DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116761
Alexander J. Knowles , Christopher H. Zenk
{"title":"BCC-superalloys: Perspectives and challenges","authors":"Alexander J. Knowles , Christopher H. Zenk","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116761","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116761","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Body-centred-cubic BCC-superalloys are a nascent materials class following a microstructure template of a disordered BCC matrix (e.g. refractory metal, Fe, Ti) reinforced by coherent precipitates that adopt a BCC-derived ordered superlattice structure, to enable enhanced high temperature performance. This is by analogy to the highly successful Ni superalloys whose properties are underpinned by their microstructure template of <em>γ</em>/<span><math><msup><mrow><mi>γ</mi></mrow><mrow><mo>′</mo></mrow></msup></math></span> FCC-Ni solid solution and ordered Ni<sub>3</sub>Al.</div><div>BCC-superalloys represent a powerful <em>Beyond Nickel Based Superalloy</em> design approach for high temperature applications from aerospace engines and rockets to fusion energy. Various BCC-superalloy base systems offer increased melting points, oxidation/corrosion/irradiation resistance, reduced density and/or cost advantages. However, challenges exist in phase stability, low temperature ductility, oxidation/corrosion resistance and the availability of predictive tools.</div><div>This BCC-superalloys Viewpoint Set addresses key challenges, theories and opportunities across the following overarching topics: Modelling, Phase transformations, Lattice misfit, Mechanical behaviour, Deformation mechanisms, Oxidation/corrosion, and Additive manufacturing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"267 ","pages":"Article 116761"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144522204","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}
Scripta MaterialiaPub Date : 2025-07-01DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116802
Kan Ma , Sibo Cheng , Xianfeng Ma , Thomas Blackburn , Alexander J. Knowles , Ke An , Javier Santisteban , Fan Sun , Christopher H. Zenk , Pedro A. Ferreirós
{"title":"Lattice misfit design and characterisation in BCC superalloys","authors":"Kan Ma , Sibo Cheng , Xianfeng Ma , Thomas Blackburn , Alexander J. Knowles , Ke An , Javier Santisteban , Fan Sun , Christopher H. Zenk , Pedro A. Ferreirós","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116802","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116802","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>BCC superalloys are a promising class of high-temperature materials with a wide range of lattice misfit values, ranging from near-zero to ∼8 %. Analogous to nickel superalloys, lattice misfit combined with elastic anisotropy dictates precipitate morphology (spherical, cuboidal, plate/needle-like), coarsening kinetics, strengthening mechanisms, and microstructure evolution, making misfit control critical for tailoring microstructural stability and creep resistance. However, misfit characterisation, especially at high temperatures, is still in its infancy to establish its links with mechanical properties. This perspective emphasises three aspects of BCC superalloys: representative misfit-driven microstructures and temperature-dependent misfit evolution, state-of-the-art diffraction techniques for high-temperature misfit quantification, and machine learning frameworks to accelerate alloy design involving misfit. By consolidating diverse misfit data and advanced characterisation/modelling strategies, we outline strategies to bridge computational and experimental gaps, advocating for physics-informed models and high-throughput techniques to design next-generation BCC superalloys and motivate systematic studies on the misfit-property relationship in this nascent material class.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"267 ","pages":"Article 116802"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144522126","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}
Scripta MaterialiaPub Date : 2025-07-01DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116784
Alexander Kauffmann , Bronislava Gorr , Martin Heilmaier
{"title":"High temperature oxidation protection in body-centered cubic superalloys","authors":"Alexander Kauffmann , Bronislava Gorr , Martin Heilmaier","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116784","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116784","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Materials from the class of metallic-intermetallic, body-centered cubic (BCC) superalloys with microstructures composed of A2, B2 and L2<sub>1</sub> phases are candidates for high temperature application due to high solidus/solvus temperatures and the expectedly good creep resistance. However, experience with their base systems indicates substantial problems that need to be tackled when high temperature oxidation resistance is concerned. This is especially the case for refractory element-containing alloys where catastrophic oxidation at rather low temperatures can occur. This seems a particular challenge for alloy development as no predictive simulation capabilities and metallurgical mitigation strategies are available to systematically suppress critical oxidation behavior in complex alloys – while maintaining other relevant properties. The present article briefly reviews the possibilities to obtain known protective scales in relevant BCC superalloy systems. It concludes on the challenges that need to be addressed to empower novel BCC superalloys to provide protection against high temperature oxidation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"267 ","pages":"Article 116784"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144522201","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}
Scripta MaterialiaPub Date : 2025-07-01DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116731
Kaitlyn M. Mullin , Carolina Frey , Syed I.A. Jalali , Michael S. Patullo , Collin S. Holgate , Kevin J. Hemker , Tresa M. Pollock
{"title":"Solidification behavior and cracking mechanisms of Ru-containing BCC-B2 superalloys","authors":"Kaitlyn M. Mullin , Carolina Frey , Syed I.A. Jalali , Michael S. Patullo , Collin S. Holgate , Kevin J. Hemker , Tresa M. Pollock","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116731","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116731","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Many precipitation-strengthened alloys are highly susceptible to cracking during additive manufacturing (AM), which often requires compositional adjustments to mitigate. Recently, it has been demonstrated that refractory BCC alloys can be precipitation strengthened with ordered Ru-containing B2 precipitates to temperatures exceeding 1200<!--> <!-->°C. This motivates a study of the potential fabricability of quaternary and quinary refractory BCC-B2 alloys by AM using single track laser experiments. Alloys with greater than 9 at.% Ru exhibit crack formation upon cooling. Solidification cracking was observed in all Zr-containing alloys, which can be mitigated by substituting Hf. This cracking is attributed to the strong partitioning of Zr during solidification, as revealed by characterization of alloy solidus, liquidus, and partition coefficients. Hf<sub>5</sub>Ru<sub>4</sub>-Nb<sub>63</sub>V<sub>28</sub> is identified as a promising BCC-B2 composition with a high B2 solvus (>1300<!--> <!-->°C) and solidus (1695<!--> <!-->°C) along with a high resistance to cracking.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"267 ","pages":"Article 116731"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144522202","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}
{"title":"Computational studies on BCC superalloys","authors":"Taiwu Yu , Liang Qi , Shiddhartha Ramprakash , Yunzhi Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116804","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116804","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While face-centered cubic (FCC) superalloys have been extensively engineered and optimized, their performance is fundamentally limited by the solvus temperatures of key coherent strengthening precipitates. In contrast, body-centered cubic (BCC) superalloys offer the potential to significantly raise the solvus temperature by incorporating refractory elements. However, the widespread adoption requires overcoming critical challenges, including poor room-temperature ductility, limited creep resistance, and inadequate oxidation performance, which necessitates new alloy design and microstructure optimization. Given the inherent complexity of multicomponent systems, computational tools play a vital role in guiding experimental efforts by screening the massive compositional space in search for potentially ductile BCC and B2 solid solutions, mapping the intricate free-energy landscapes across a high-dimensional space of compositional and processing variables in search for transformation pathways leading to desired microstructures. This viewpoint article summarizes state-of-the-art in computational design of BCC superalloys, and outlines promising future directions in this rapidly evolving field.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"267 ","pages":"Article 116804"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144522205","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}
Scripta MaterialiaPub Date : 2025-06-30DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116839
Shubhangini Yadav, Varun A. Baheti
{"title":"Solid–state growth behaviour of phases in the Nb–Zn diffusion couple","authors":"Shubhangini Yadav, Varun A. Baheti","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116839","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116839","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nb–Zn system, which is technologically crucial for galvanized Nb–containing interstitial–free steels, is studied using diffusion–bonding. It also involves solid–state joining of dissimilar metals, viz. Nb/Zn, with high difference in melting points. In Nb/Zn diffusion couple, NbZn<sub>3</sub> and NbZn<sub>16</sub> grow at 400°C. NbZn<sub>7</sub>, present between NbZn<sub>3</sub> and NbZn<sub>16</sub> in phase diagram, could not be detected. This phenomenon is discussed using the physico–chemical approach and existing nucleation theories. Algebraic expressions, unavailable earlier, are developed to calculate the driving force for diffusion in line compounds. They signify a correlation of the driving forces with a difference in slopes of common tangents. Diffusion parameters such as integrated and tracer diffusivities, which are currently unavailable, are also estimated. The estimated tracer diffusivities indicate that Zn diffuses faster than Nb via NbZn<sub>16</sub>. This can be understood from the crystal structure of NbZn<sub>16</sub> and possible defects in this phase.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"268 ","pages":"Article 116839"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144517262","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}
Scripta MaterialiaPub Date : 2025-06-28DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116844
A.M. Jamili , I. Basu , C. Cayron , S. Van Petegem , J. Jhabvala , A. Nicholas Grundy , D. Weisz-Patrault , J. Nohava , A. Ozsoy , N. Casati , Jörg F. Löffler , R.E. Logé
{"title":"Formation mechanism and microstructural characteristics of a body-centered cubic phase in 3D printed 316L–CuCrZr multi-material structures, combining laser powder bed fusion with foils","authors":"A.M. Jamili , I. Basu , C. Cayron , S. Van Petegem , J. Jhabvala , A. Nicholas Grundy , D. Weisz-Patrault , J. Nohava , A. Ozsoy , N. Casati , Jörg F. Löffler , R.E. Logé","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116844","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116844","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Additive manufacturing of 316L/CuCrZr multi-material metallic structures has recently attracted significant attention, due to the ideal combination of structural and thermal/electrical properties. In this work, a unique multi-phase microstructure was produced with a hybrid laser-powder bed fusion (L-PBF) process combining 316L steel thin foils and CuCrZr powders. <em>In-situ</em> XRD, together with EDS and EBSD measurements, revealed the formation of two distinct Cu- and Fe-rich FCC phases that co-exist with an Fe-rich BCC phase. From the observed phase morphologies and using thermodynamic calculations, the formation mechanism of the BCC phase is proposed to result from the miscibility gap of the phase diagram, elemental diffusion, and fluid dynamics within the melt pool. The control of the BCC phase content in additive manufacturing is anticipated to be critical for designing complex FCC+BCC “composite” microstructures that can impart substantial strengthening to L-PBF multi-material 316L/Cu structures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"268 ","pages":"Article 116844"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144510785","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}
Scripta MaterialiaPub Date : 2025-06-27DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116843
Zhichao Jiao , Haoxiang Liu , Yifei Dong, Qing Zhou, Yangyang Ma, Yun Lu, Yixuan He, Haifeng Wang
{"title":"Self-generating hierarchical lubricious phase for superior high-temperature tribological performance in multi-principal element alloys","authors":"Zhichao Jiao , Haoxiang Liu , Yifei Dong, Qing Zhou, Yangyang Ma, Yun Lu, Yixuan He, Haifeng Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116843","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116843","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Achieving adaptive lubrication while maintaining oxidation resistance is a key challenge in high-temperature tribological alloys. This study introduces a novel hierarchical lubricious phase in Nb-modified CoNiAl eutectic multi-principal element alloys to improve high-temperature tribological performance. The CoNiAlNb alloy exhibits a low wear rate of 1.01 × 10⁻<sup>5</sup> mm<sup>3</sup>/N·m at 800 °C due to the formation of a hierarchical oxide layer, comprising Co<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>, NiO, AlNbO<sub>4</sub>, and Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>. First principles calculations further reveal the formation and lubrication mechanisms of the hierarchical oxide phases. Specifically, strong Al-O bonds in Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> form a stable and oxidation-resistant basal layer, while intermediate Al–O and Nb–O bonds in AlNbO<sub>4</sub> help a balance between oxidation protection and moderate shear adaptability. In addition, the weaker Co-O and Ni-O bonds in Co<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> and NiO enhance self-lubrication properties. The synergistic effect of these oxides, combined with their hierarchical characteristics, presents a novel strategy for enhancing high-temperature friction performance through compositional design.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"268 ","pages":"Article 116843"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144492087","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}
Scripta MaterialiaPub Date : 2025-06-26DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116830
Zhouqing Xu , Sansan Shuai , Tao Hu , Xuan Ge , Chenglin Huang , Feihu He , Jiang Wang , Zhongming Ren
{"title":"Atomic structural basis for magnetic field regulating nucleation behavior in monometallic Al and Zn melts","authors":"Zhouqing Xu , Sansan Shuai , Tao Hu , Xuan Ge , Chenglin Huang , Feihu He , Jiang Wang , Zhongming Ren","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116830","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116830","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We investigated the atomic-scale structural evolution of liquid zinc (Zn) and aluminum (Al) under the influence of a 0.3/0.4 T static magnetic field using in situ high-energy X-ray diffraction. Our results reveal distinct responses to the magnetic field: the first coordination shell of liquid Zn expands, while that of Al contracts, indicating that the magnetic field differentially affects atomic aggregation in these metals, which further influences the solid-liquid interfacial energy (<em>γ</em>) during the subsequent nucleation process. Specifically, the magnetic field increases <em>γ</em> in Zn, hindering nucleation, while decreasing <em>γ</em> in Al, thereby promoting nucleation. This contrasting behavior arises from the distinct magnetic properties of the two metals and their corresponding responses to the magnetic field, consistent with the magnetic dipole theory. By elucidating the atomic-scale mechanisms through which magnetic fields influence nucleation, this study provides a foundation for tailoring solidification microstructures through the controlled application of magnetic fields.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"267 ","pages":"Article 116830"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144480631","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}
Scripta MaterialiaPub Date : 2025-06-25DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116837
S.H. Gao , J.Y. Zhang , H. Wang , S.Y. Liu , J. Kuang , J. Li , G. Liu , J. Sun
{"title":"Achieving high strength and toughness in microlaminated duplex medium entropy alloys via dual B2 nanoprecipitates","authors":"S.H. Gao , J.Y. Zhang , H. Wang , S.Y. Liu , J. Kuang , J. Li , G. Liu , J. Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116837","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116837","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Heterogeneously laminated duplex structures offer a promising approach to overcoming the strength–ductility trade-off in alloys. However, this often comes at the expense of fracture toughness—particularly at gigapascal-level yield strengths—due to strain incompatibilities at interfaces. In this work, we develop a Fe-based medium entropy alloy (Fe-MEA) featuring ordered body-centered cubic (B2) nanoprecipitates embedded within laminated face-centered cubic (FCC) and body-centered cubic (BCC) phases. These engineered interfaces act as prolific, stable, and long-lasting dislocation sources, substantially improving toughness, while simultaneously serving as strong dislocation barriers to enhance strength. The dual-nanoprecipitate-reinforced Fe-MEA demonstrates an exceptional combination of properties: a yield strength of ∼1350 MPa, ductility of ∼18 %, and fracture toughness of ∼166 MPa·m<sup>0.5</sup>. Dynamic grain refinement and crack branching further contribute to enhanced energy absorption. Although showcased in Fe-MEAs, this structural design strategy offers a promising pathway for developing other strong and ductile alloys— such as complex multi-element alloys—with superior fracture resistance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"267 ","pages":"Article 116837"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144480630","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}