Scripta MaterialiaPub Date : 2026-03-15Epub Date: 2025-12-26DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117149
Jingxian Zhang, Qianglong Liang, Xiangdong Ding
{"title":"Cyclic stable superelasticity and elastocaloric effect via the R→B19′ transformation in NiTi","authors":"Jingxian Zhang, Qianglong Liang, Xiangdong Ding","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117149","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117149","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>NiTi-based shape memory alloys are promising candidates for solid-state refrigeration owing to the latent heat associated with stress-induced martensitic transformations. However, the conventional B2→B19′ pathway is constrained by a fundamental trade-off between elastocaloric performance and cyclic stability. In this work, we demonstrate that activating the R→B19′ transformation pathway effectively circumvents this limitation. Differential scanning calorimetry confirms stable and reversible R→B19′ transformations in binary NiTi alloys. The reduced energy barrier between the R-phase and B19′ martensite facilitates a more continuous and efficient transformation, thereby suppressing the accumulation of irreversible defects. Through integrated thermomechanical processing and microstructural characterization, we show that NiTi alloys undergoing reversible R↔B19′ transformations exhibit a large adiabatic temperature change (18.59 K), high recoverable strain (4.86%), and exceptional cycling stability, retaining over 99% of performance after 200 tensile cycles. These findings establish a robust design strategy for high-performance shape memory alloys.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"274 ","pages":"Article 117149"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145837428","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 : 2026-03-15Epub Date: 2025-12-24DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117151
Weizong Bao , Ning Ding , Jiawen Zhang , Ziqi Mei , Guoqiang Xie , Binbin He , Wenjun Lu
{"title":"Optimizing strength and ductility in CoCrNiAl alloys by coupling lattice distortion with stacking fault energy","authors":"Weizong Bao , Ning Ding , Jiawen Zhang , Ziqi Mei , Guoqiang Xie , Binbin He , Wenjun Lu","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117151","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117151","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Overcoming the strength–ductility trade-off in structural alloys has long relied on micro/nanoscale defect engineering. Here we present a coordinated design framework that combines lattice distortion with control of stacking fault energy (SFE) in a CoCrNiAl multi-principal element alloy (MPEA). Al, with a 14 % atomic size mismatch, is selected to induce strong lattice distortion while simultaneously lowering the SFE. First-principles calculations reveal that this dual effect arises from both increased bond length variation, which enhances solid-solution strengthening, and charge transfer with bond strengthening, which reduces the SFE. The lowered SFE activates deformation twinning and stacking fault formation, sustaining strain hardening and improving ductility. This cross-scale design offers a complementary perspective to conventional defect-based approaches for developing high-performance alloys.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"274 ","pages":"Article 117151"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145836953","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 : 2026-03-15Epub Date: 2025-12-10DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117139
Yuhao Wang , Haotian Wang , Xiangyu Fu , Yulai Zhu , Sannian Song , Zhitang Song
{"title":"Thermally induced structural evolution in amorphous ge-as-se enhances ovonic threshold switching","authors":"Yuhao Wang , Haotian Wang , Xiangyu Fu , Yulai Zhu , Sannian Song , Zhitang Song","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117139","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117139","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Amorphous GeAsSe chalcogenides exhibit unique ovonic threshold switching (OTS) behavior for selector devices, yet their performance is limited by structural instability. Herein, we demonstrate that 400 °C annealing induced a liquid-liquid transition (LLT)-like structural reorganization in Ge<sub>23</sub>As<sub>22</sub>Se<sub>55</sub> glass, leading to remarkable improvements in OTS characteristics. XPS analysis reveals suppressed homopolar bonds and enhanced heteropolar coordination (GeSe<sub>4/2</sub>, AsSe<sub>3/2</sub>). Radial distribution functions further evidence local ordering with sharpened As-Se correlations and emergent Se-Se shoulder peaks. This reorganization intensifies Peierls distortion in isolated [AsSe<sub>3</sub>] units, widening the bandgap by enhancing lone-pair electron localization. Consequently, annealed OTS devices achieve a 45% higher threshold voltage, over 3-order reduction in leakage current, and endurance increased by two orders of magnitude (>10<sup>8</sup> cycles). Our work can stimulate further exploration of the thermal stability of chalcogenide-based OTS materials, lay a solid foundation for developing LLT-like structural reorganization as a promising strategy for designing thermally stable selectors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"274 ","pages":"Article 117139"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145735012","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 : 2026-03-15Epub Date: 2025-12-16DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117142
Shuaiqi Wang , Guisheng Zou , Jinpeng Huo , Chengjie Du , Rongbao Du , Dejian Li , Shunfeng Han , Bofu Li , Lei Liu
{"title":"Nanocrystalline-accelerated grain boundary diffusion creep for enhanced densification rate of nano-Cu sintering","authors":"Shuaiqi Wang , Guisheng Zou , Jinpeng Huo , Chengjie Du , Rongbao Du , Dejian Li , Shunfeng Han , Bofu Li , Lei Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117142","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117142","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Advanced electronic packaging requires highly dense sintered Cu interconnects for serving under extreme conditions. However, densification of nano-Cu is typically limited by insufficient driving force from surface energy during final sintering stage. This study presented a creep strategy to promote atomic flow, facilitating the final-stage densification. In conditions of 300°C/75 MPa, densification rate of fine-grained Cu (370 nm) was approximately 8 times higher than coarse-grained Cu (1050 nm). Theoretical analysis revealed that this enhancement was attributed to activation of grain boundary diffusion (Coble) creep, with an activation energy of 89.11 kJ/mol, and demonstrating nanocrystalline acceleration effect. Using this approach, sintered Cu density was improved from 88.15% to 95.29% within 1 min. Furthermore, a transition of creep mechanisms was observed at lower temperatures (160–250 °C), where the activation energy decreased to 14.19 kJ/mol and the influence of grain size became negligible. A critical stress threshold for densification was also identified.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"274 ","pages":"Article 117142"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145787822","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 : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2025-11-10DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117088
Jingyao He , Fan Zhang , Zezhou Li , Shipan Yin , Qinghui Tang , Linbing Zhang , Yang Liu , Jichen Xu , Xingwang Cheng
{"title":"Shock wave-induced multiple deformation modes in a HfNbZrVTi high-entropy alloy","authors":"Jingyao He , Fan Zhang , Zezhou Li , Shipan Yin , Qinghui Tang , Linbing Zhang , Yang Liu , Jichen Xu , Xingwang Cheng","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117088","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117088","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The deformation behaviors in HfNbZrVTi high-entropy alloy (HEA) under shock loading are investigated. We find that, in addition to dislocation slip, multiple deformation modes are activated, including {112} kink banding, {112}<111> deformation twinning, and body-centered cubic (BCC) to omega phase transition. Atomic-scale characterization of deformation interfaces reveals that pressure dependent kink banding is driven by the movement of a<sub>0</sub>/2<111>{112} edge dislocation pairs, while the BCC to omega phase transition involves atomic shuffling of 1/12<span><math><mrow><mo>[</mo><mn>11</mn><mover><mn>1</mn><mo>¯</mo></mover><mo>]</mo></mrow></math></span> and 1/12<span><math><mrow><mo>[</mo><mover><mn>1</mn><mo>¯</mo></mover><mover><mn>1</mn><mo>¯</mo></mover><mn>1</mn><mo>]</mo></mrow></math></span> on adjacent <span><math><msub><mrow><mo>(</mo><mn>2</mn><mover><mn>1</mn><mo>¯</mo></mover><mn>1</mn><mo>)</mo></mrow><mtext>BCC</mtext></msub></math></span> planes. Furthermore, the omega phase distributes at the twin boundary accompanied with the formation of transient omega phase. These findings reflect unique deformation behaviors of HEAs comprising mixed multiple elements in extreme loading conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"273 ","pages":"Article 117088"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145527337","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 : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2025-11-14DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117102
B. Yu , C. Pelligra , S. Asqardoust , Y. Emun , K. Abu Samk , H. Azizi , Y. Brechet , H. Zurob
{"title":"On the effect of microstructural heterogeneity on yield point phenomena in architectured steel: Revealed by in-situ micro-digital image correlation (μDIC)","authors":"B. Yu , C. Pelligra , S. Asqardoust , Y. Emun , K. Abu Samk , H. Azizi , Y. Brechet , H. Zurob","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117102","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117102","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lüders banding in carbon steel is a manifestation of discontinuous yielding and limits the formability and surface quality of the steel. In this study, we explore the role of microstructure heterogeneity in suppressing the formation of Luder band. A ferritic steel was processed by decarburization, cold rolling, and controlled annealing to induce partial recrystallization and develop a heterogeneous grain structure. This micro-architectured material resembles a functionally graded structure and inhibits the propagation of Lüders bands. We propose a simple model in which heterogeneity disrupts the spatial coherence of yield front propagation. Suppression of Lüders bands was confirmed through tensile testing with micro- digital image correlation (DIC) and <em>in-situ</em> micro-tensile testing in Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). This heterostructure engineering approach demonstrates a viable alternative strategy for tuning the deformation behavior of ferritic steel.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"273 ","pages":"Article 117102"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145527330","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":"Deformation of metal-ceramic nanolaminates at extreme strain rates","authors":"Jianxiong Li , Qi Tang , Nikhilesh Chawla , Mostafa Hassani","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117089","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117089","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While the deformation mechanisms of Al-SiC nanolaminates under quasi-static and low stain rate conditions have been extensively studied, their behavior under ultra-high strain rates are not well-understood. Here we report on the high strain-rate behavior of Al-SiC metal-ceramic nanolaminates with layer thicknesses ranging from 10 to 100 nm by nanoindentation tests and laser induced microparticle impact tests. The effective strain rates spanned nine orders of magnitude, ranging from 10<sup>–1</sup> to 10<sup>8</sup> s<sup>-1</sup>. While the hardness of Al-SiC nanolaminates strongly depends on layer thickness at low strain rates, the differences progressively decreased with increasing strain rate, ultimately converging under ultra-high strain rate impact. At low strain rates, deformation progresses slowly, layer by layer; whereas with increasing strain rate, it transitions toward continuum, bulk-like behavior, where a large number of layers deform collectively and the mechanical response becomes increasingly governed by the volume fraction rather than the layer thickness of the constituents.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"273 ","pages":"Article 117089"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145527335","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":"Response to the comments on “Practicing pseudo-binary diffusion couple method in ternary and multicomponent systems”","authors":"Suman Sadhu , Anuj Dash , Neelamegan Esakkiraja , Ujjval Bansal , Raju Ravi , Saswata Bhattacharyya , Sergiy Divinski , Aloke Paul","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117090","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117090","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Kulkarni et al. [1] commented on our recent work [2], criticising different aspects of the novel pseudo-binary (PB) diffusion couple method. They stated that the interdiffusion flux of an element, which remains constant, is zero, but not its intrinsic flux, whereas we considered both to be nil. We have highlighted the mathematical errors and inconsistencies in their arguments, as their logic on one aspect contradicts their logic in another. The direct estimation of four interdiffusion coefficients in Ref. [3], which they considered to support their comments in Ref. [1], is mathematically incorrect, as it is based on only two or three independent equations (depending on the number of pseudo-binary diffusion profiles considered). In this reply, we validate the pseudo-binary diffusion couple method proposed by us and highlight the self-inconsistencies in the arguments presented by Kulkarni et al. in Ref. [1].</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"273 ","pages":"Article 117090"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145577441","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 : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2025-11-07DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117086
Wei Wu , Junxiao Xu , Fuhua Cao , Yu Zhang , Yiren Wang , Zheng Peng , Yan Chen , Lanhong Dai
{"title":"Physical feature guided design of refractory high entropy alloys for strength-plasticity synergy across wide strain rates","authors":"Wei Wu , Junxiao Xu , Fuhua Cao , Yu Zhang , Yiren Wang , Zheng Peng , Yan Chen , Lanhong Dai","doi":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117086","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.117086","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Strength and plasticity are critical properties but always unavoidable trade-offs of materials for various service environment. The vast composition-property space of refractory high entropy alloy (RHEAs) enables resolving this trade-off, but makes their composition design highly challenging. Herein, we formulate a physical feature-guided design strategy for RHEAs toward balanced strength-plasticity across strain rates. Three RHEAs with a superior combination of strength and plasticity over wide strain rate ranges were discovered and synthetized. The composition-property diagrams are constructed and an optimal composition range is identified based on model prediction for several typical refractory elements. By decoding the key physical features governing property trade-offs via interpretable machine learning (ML), this study establishes a data-efficient paradigm for multi-objective materials design, demonstrated here for refractory high-entropy alloys but extensible to other complex systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":423,"journal":{"name":"Scripta Materialia","volume":"273 ","pages":"Article 117086"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145475870","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}