Scripta MaterialiaPub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-15DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117177
Mingyang Wang , Yi Li , Yuanhang Gao , Pengting Li , Yinong Wang , Yi Tan
{"title":"Strong and ductile hetero-lamellar-structured alloy with a dual heterogeneous microstructure","authors":"Mingyang Wang , Yi Li , Yuanhang Gao , Pengting Li , Yinong Wang , Yi Tan","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117177","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117177","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>High-strength, lamellar-structured Ni-Cr-Al alloys are critically important for industrial components, but their application is severely limited by an intrinsic brittleness originating from the rigid, non-deforming nature of the nano-scale α-Cr (BCC) lamellae. Here, we resolve this long-standing strength-ductility conflict by designing a “dual-heterostructure” that partitions the α-Cr strengthening phase into two functionally distinct morphologies: the original strength-providing nano-lamellae and the newly introduced, deformable submicron-scale globular particles. These submicron-scale particles uniquely capable of accommodating plasticity, acting as dynamic dislocation sinks to delocalize strain. This functional synergy activates a sustained, non-saturating hetero-deformation-induced (HDI) hardening, which continuously elevates the work-hardening rate. This unique mechanism produces an exceptional combination of an ultimate tensile strength over 1.5 GPa and a total elongation exceeding 17%. Our work demonstrates that engineering the deformability of a secondary hard phase, while preserving the primary strengthening backbone, offers a new and potent strategy for creating damage-tolerant, ultra-strong alloys.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"275 ","pages":"Article 117177"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145973928","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 : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-08DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117150
P.D. Unnikrishnan , M. Kamaraj , Christopher C. Berndt , Andrew Siao Ming Ang , Srinivasa Rao Bakshi
{"title":"Microstructural and mechanical response of cold-sprayed copper subjected to annealing","authors":"P.D. Unnikrishnan , M. Kamaraj , Christopher C. Berndt , Andrew Siao Ming Ang , Srinivasa Rao Bakshi","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117150","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117150","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cold-sprayed copper coatings are characterized by a severely deformed, heterogeneous microstructure, resulting in inherent brittleness. This brittleness stems from weak interparticle bonding, micro-pores, high plastic strain and dislocation density along with fine dynamically recrystallized grains at interfaces, which facilitate easy crack propagation. While annealing treatments are known to enhance metallurgical bonding and induce recrystallization, a significant improvement in failure strain remains elusive even after complete recrystallization. The fundamental impact of annealing on this complex, severely deformed microstructure is not yet fully understood. This study presents an in-depth investigation into the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of cold-sprayed copper across a range of annealing conditions. Hardness, microstructure, and thermal analysis studies show that recrystallization peaks are below 250 °C, with a relatively lower activation energy of 71 kJ.mol<sup>-1</sup>, indicative of high stored energy. The mechanism of bimodal grain size formation upon annealing is discussed, which is a primary factor limiting ductility.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"275 ","pages":"Article 117150"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145940465","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 : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-12DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117169
Yingji Sang , Liangyu Li , Jie Li , Qing Chen
{"title":"Structural tuning of nanoporous metal via electrodeposition","authors":"Yingji Sang , Liangyu Li , Jie Li , Qing Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117169","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117169","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nanoporous metal, fabricated via the selective dissolution of an alloy (i.e., dealloying), can be filled with another metal via electrodeposition to create unique, functional structures unattainable via just dealloying. In this work, by controlling the charge of Ni deposition, we finetune the porosity and the pore width of nanoporous copper. At a sufficiently low rate, the deposition proceeds uniformly under interface control, until the porosity approaches a percolation threshold, which also governs the smallest attainable pore width. Via microscopic characterizations, we determine that we can tune down the porosity from 57.5 % to 15.8 % and the pore width from 89 nm to 34 nm. A tuned structure that retains the structural bi-continuity rejects 80 % KCl from a 1 mM solution, a function not available in the pristine structure but enabled by the narrowed pores.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"275 ","pages":"Article 117169"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145973781","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":"The role of grain size distribution on the anomalous yielding of ultrafine-grained Au thin films","authors":"Yichen Yang , Kunqing Ding , Ting Zhu , Josh Kacher , Olivier Pierron","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117178","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117178","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ultrafine grained metals, with grain size ranging from 100 nm to 1 μm, generally exhibit increasing strength with decreasing grain size, as expected by the Hall-Petch relationship. Contrary to this trend, we observe an increase in yield strength from 310 to 520 MPa as the average grain size of Au thin films increases from 140 to 360 nm after annealing at 350 °C. Quantitative in situ TEM nanomechanical testing reveals that the grain size distribution plays a key role in determining the films’ yield strength. In the as-deposited state, a large area fraction of nanograins (<50 nm in size) adjacent to larger grains results in substantial stress-assisted grain-boundary migration and grain coalescence, leading to yielding at relatively low applied stresses. When these small grains are removed through annealing, grain boundary migration is largely suppressed, and higher stresses are required to initiate dislocation-mediated yielding, despite the coarser average grain size.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"275 ","pages":"Article 117178"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145973930","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 : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-23DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117183
Shang Sun , Mingdi Lan , Guojian Li , Shiying Liu , Jingyi Zhu , Kai Wang , Qiang Wang
{"title":"Evolution of thermoelectric properties in Cu2-xSe films with ordered porous structures","authors":"Shang Sun , Mingdi Lan , Guojian Li , Shiying Liu , Jingyi Zhu , Kai Wang , Qiang Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117183","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117183","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Porous structures can enhance thermoelectric films by suppressing heat transport, but excessive porosity degrades electrical conduction. Here, β-Cu<sub>2-x</sub>Se films with four pore architectures (non-pore, through-pore, half through-pore and sealing-pore) were grown on AAO templates by tuning the thickness. The sealing-pore film combines internal pores with a dense surface layer, which blocks heat flow while providing continuous carrier pathways. As a result, at 250 °C it yields a power factor of about 460 μW·m<sup>-1</sup>·K<sup>-2</sup> and a maximum power density of 0.58 W·m<sup>-2</sup>, where the maximum power density is nearly twice that of the non-pore film prepared under the same conditions. These results show that sealing-pore structure can balance thermal insulation and electrical transport, offering a simple method for high-performance Cu<sub>2-x</sub>Se TE films and devices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"275 ","pages":"Article 117183"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146034869","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 : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-22DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117185
Jiayi Xiong , Haoyu Wang , Guangheng Zhang , Xirui Lv , Jiemin Wang , Jie Zhang , Jingyang Wang
{"title":"Rational design strategy for rare-earth monosilicate with tailored thermal behavior","authors":"Jiayi Xiong , Haoyu Wang , Guangheng Zhang , Xirui Lv , Jiemin Wang , Jie Zhang , Jingyang Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117185","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117185","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Advanced multifunctional thermal environmental barrier coatings (TEBCs) are in high demand to provide environmental protection and thermal insulation for SiC-based ceramic matrix composites (CMCs). Here, the non-equiatomic high-entropy strategy was employed, expanding the vast chemical and size disorder space and enabling fine-tuning distortions to tailor the thermal behavior. Through intentional modification of Y concentration, the structural features were characterized using a Cs-corrected transmission electron microscope and a neutron powder diffractometer. It has been established that tunable distortion of [ORE<sub>4</sub>] tetrahedra endows the platform for tailoring the thermal expansion coefficient, and that the mass disorder contributes to lower thermal conductivity. This work highlights the feasibility of designing RE monosilicates for TEBC applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"275 ","pages":"Article 117185"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146034867","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 : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-15DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117180
Hong Lian , Qi Miao , Xinwei Shi , Yilin Wang , Kaiyue Zhao , Juan Guo , Erjun Liang , Qilong Gao
{"title":"Realizing zero thermal expansion in NaSICON structure framework materials via controlling guest ions","authors":"Hong Lian , Qi Miao , Xinwei Shi , Yilin Wang , Kaiyue Zhao , Juan Guo , Erjun Liang , Qilong Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117180","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117180","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Zero thermal expansion (ZTE) materials hold significant application potential in precision industrial equipment. Based on the design concept of average atomic volume, this study successfully constructed the K<em><sub>x</sub></em>Mg<em><sub>x</sub></em>In<sub>2-</sub><em><sub>x</sub></em>Mo<sub>3</sub>O<sub>12</sub>:0.15Yb<sup>3+</sup>/0.03Er<sup>3+</sup>(<em>x</em> = 0.4∼1.0) material series through innovative modifications to the NASICON-type structure. This was achieved by replacing the PO<sub>4</sub> tetrahedra (1.856Å<sup>3</sup>) in the conventional NZP framework with larger MoO<sub>4</sub> tetrahedra (3.099Å<sup>3</sup>) and introducing a K<sup>+</sup>-Mg<sup>2+</sup>/In<sup>3+</sup> combination to achieve charge balance and lattice expansion. This is attributed to the reduced K⁺ content enhancing the lateral vibrational ability of oxygen atoms, thereby counteracting thermal expansion; simultaneously, as the volumetric thermal expansion coefficient approaches zero, the thermally enhanced upconversion luminescence effect gradually intensifies. This study achieved controllable regulation of thermal expansion and obtained ZTE materials, providing new insight for elucidating the intrinsic relationship between thermal expansion and luminescence thermal enhancement.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"275 ","pages":"Article 117180"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145973929","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 : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-08DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117154
C. Li , H.Z. Zhang , X.Y. Li , Z.L. Ma , X.W. Cheng
{"title":"Anisotropic phase transformation of Cu6Sn5 driven by electromigration in lead-free solder joints","authors":"C. Li , H.Z. Zhang , X.Y. Li , Z.L. Ma , X.W. Cheng","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117154","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117154","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Electromigration (EM) effects on intermetallic compound evolution remain incompletely understood despite their critical role in solder joint reliability. Through correlated transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations of Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu solder joints under current stressing, we reveal for the first time that EM imposes crystallographic selection during η-to-η' transformation in Cu<sub>6</sub>Sn<sub>5</sub>—suppressing η' variants via electron-wind-aligned atomic migration while accelerating η' growth. Atomic-scale simulations establish that EM redirects this phase transformation via kinetically impeding atomic shuffling, as indicated by the elevated interfacial shear strain. This newly identified current-steered phase transformation represents a paradigm shift in understanding EM-induced damage—demonstrating that electric fields not only accelerate but also crystallographically constrain solid-state transformations in Cu<sub>6</sub>Sn<sub>5</sub> intermetallic. The resulting anisotropic η'-Cu<sub>6</sub>Sn<sub>5</sub> microstructures may concentrate degradation pathways, highlighting critical implications for reliability in high-current-density microelectronics where texture-dominated failure may emerge.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"275 ","pages":"Article 117154"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145940433","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 : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-07DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117166
R. Kevorkyants , D.S. Shtarev
{"title":"Boron-pnictogen donor-acceptor bonding as a perovskite design principle: DFT case study of quasi 0D A(BX3)2 (A=BeBH3, MgBH3; B=Sb, Bi; X=I)","authors":"R. Kevorkyants , D.S. Shtarev","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117166","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117166","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>DFT study on the crystal structure and optoelectronic properties of hypothetical quasi 0D perovskites ABX<sub>3</sub> (<em>A</em>=BeBH<sub>3</sub>, MgBH<sub>3</sub>; <em>B</em>=Sb, Bi; <em>X</em> = <em>I</em>) is presented. They are predicted to be dynamically stable species with P1 spatial symmetry and electronic bandgaps in the range [1.77–1.95] eV. Electronic transitions shall occur between VBs (I<sup>-</sup>) and CBs (Sb<sup>3+</sup> or Bi<sup>3+</sup>) formed from <em>p</em>-electron orbitals. The computed charge density indicates a formation of donor-acceptor bond between vacant 2<em>p</em>-orbital of boron and valence s<sup>2</sup> lone electron pairs of the pnictogen cations. Atoms of the alkaline earth metals are not involved in chemical bonding and resemble noble gas atoms encapsulated in minerals. Thus, during a fictitious perovskite formation from the pnictogen iodides and BeBH<sub>3</sub> or MgBH<sub>3</sub> complexes the BH<sub>3</sub> molecule must recoordinate. This study demonstrates unusual donor-acceptor interactions in perovskites broadening our knowledge of their physico-chemical properties and paving the way to their prospective applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"275 ","pages":"Article 117166"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145940423","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 : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-22DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117186
Shuan Ma , Jian Liu , Jingyu Zhang , Minqing Wang , Shaolan Wang , Yixuan He , Yiwei Ju , Huiling Duan , Jing Zhu
{"title":"Elemental segregation-dependent γ″ nucleation on stacking faults during creep in 718Plus superalloy","authors":"Shuan Ma , Jian Liu , Jingyu Zhang , Minqing Wang , Shaolan Wang , Yixuan He , Yiwei Ju , Huiling Duan , Jing Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117186","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117186","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, we investigate the segregation behavior and interactions of stacking faults(SFs) and microtwins in the 718Plus under 650 °C/800 MPa and 730 °C/500 MPa by atomic-scale Z-contrast (High angle annular dark field image, HAADF) in combination with creep models. Our results reveal that creep deformation is dominated by SFs and microtwins, with pronounced Nb and Co enrichment alongside Al and Ni depletion at SFs sites. Furthermore, γ″-Ni<sub>3</sub>Nb precipitates nucleate preferentially at SFs intersections, suggesting a dynamic interplay between defect evolution and precipitation. A comparative analysis of microtwinning-based creep models and experimental data demonstrates that microtwinning in the γ' phase provides the dominant strengthening contribution, yielding a slip resistance of approximately 92.3 MPa-accounting for 62% of the total hardening. In stark contrast, γ″-induced hardening is negligible (∼0.15 MPa). These atomic-scale insights advance our understanding of creep mechanisms and γ″ precipitation in 718Plus superalloys, providing critical guidance for alloy design.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"275 ","pages":"Article 117186"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146034866","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}