{"title":"Grain Refinement and Performance Optimization of Pulsed Laser-Welded 0.1-mm 446 Ferritic Stainless Steel Using Activating Flux for PEMFC Applications","authors":"Peng Duan, Ziqiang Yin, Xin Yao, Dongxu Hou, Yuan Ren, Zhen Xiao, Fengxi Li, Shouren Wang","doi":"10.1007/s11837-026-08456-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11837-026-08456-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Pulsed laser welding of 0.1-mm-thick 446 ferritic stainless steel for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) metallic bipolar plates was optimized through orthogonal experimentation and comprehensive balance analysis. The optimal parameters—laser power 60 W, welding speed 80 mm/s, defocus 0 mm, and duty cycle 40%—achieved low heat input (~ 0.2 J/mm), resulting in refined weld-zone grains (36.2 <i>μ</i>m), shear strength of 480 MPa (93% of base metal), and post-weld deformation of 207 <i>μ</i>m. Four activating fluxes (CeO<sub>2</sub>, TiO<sub>2</sub>, SiO<sub>2</sub>, and Y<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) were further investigated. TiO<sub>2</sub> yielded the most significant improvements: enhanced penetration while retaining semi-penetration morphology, finest grain size (14.31 <i>μ</i>m), minimal deformation (154 <i>μ</i>m), highest shear strength (485.8 MPa, equivalent to base metal), and superior corrosion resistance in simulated PEMFC cathode environment (lowest i_corr of 1.102 <i>μ</i>A/cm<sup>2</sup> and widest passivation range). These benefits stem from Ti(C, N) particle pinning, promoted heterogeneous nucleation, and formation of a dense, self-healing passive film. This work demonstrates that TiO<sub>2</sub> activating flux effectively mitigates grain coarsening and performance degradation, offering a practical, coating-free welding strategy for high-performance ultra-thin ferritic stainless steel bipolar plates.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":605,"journal":{"name":"JOM","volume":"78 8","pages":"7840 - 7861"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148552999","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Phase Stability and Coarsening Mechanism of AlCrFeNi3 Eutectic High-Entropy Alloy at 900°C and 1100°C","authors":"Yong Dong, Haoran Zhai, Shougang Duan, Huiting Zheng","doi":"10.1007/s11837-026-08521-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11837-026-08521-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The high-temperature phase stability and microstructural evolution of a novel Co-free AlCrFeNi<sub>3</sub> eutectic high-entropy alloy (EHEA) were systematically investigated for potential elevated-temperature applications. The alloy was subjected to isothermal annealing at 900°C and 1100°C for durations ranging from 1 h to 400 h, and the results demonstrated excellent phase stability with no deleterious tertiary phases forming after prolonged exposure, but its morphology underwent a temperature-dependent degradation. At 900°C, the microstructure evolved into a mixture of coarsened lamellae and spheroidized B2 particles, whereas, at 1100°C, it transformed completely into coarse B2 particles uniformly dispersed in an FCC matrix. This microstructural coarsening, driven by enhanced lamellar boundaries elemental partitioning and accelerated colony boundaries diffusion at higher temperatures, led to a non-monotonic evolution of Vickers hardness, reflecting a competition between softening from Ostwald ripening and strengthening from potential precipitation. Quantitative EBSD analysis revealed that near-equilibrium phase fractions (~ 71% FCC, ~ 27% B2) were established after 400 h at both temperatures. Furthermore, kernel average misorientation maps confirmed substantial relief of internal strains, with average values as low as ~ 0.65°, indicating that microstructural evolution proceeded via in-situ coarsening without recrystallization. This work elucidates the kinetic pathways governing the high-temperature stability of Co-free EHEAs and provides critical insights for tailoring their microstructure and properties for service in extreme environments.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":605,"journal":{"name":"JOM","volume":"78 10","pages":"8997 - 9010"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149027632","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
JOMPub Date : 2026-06-25DOI: 10.1007/s11837-026-08533-w
Jielong Zhang, Jun Cai, Jinyun Yang, Ke Li, Chongchong Li, Qiang Liu, Lin Chen, Peng Zhang, Biao Xiang, Kuaishe Wang
{"title":"Systematic Study of Hot Deformation Behavior and Optimal Processing Parameters of TC11 Titanium Alloy","authors":"Jielong Zhang, Jun Cai, Jinyun Yang, Ke Li, Chongchong Li, Qiang Liu, Lin Chen, Peng Zhang, Biao Xiang, Kuaishe Wang","doi":"10.1007/s11837-026-08533-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11837-026-08533-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The microstructure and service performance of TC11 titanium alloy are highly sensitive to hot working conditions. Therefore, this study examines the high-temperature deformation behavior and microstructural evolution of TC11 titanium alloy, emphasizing the effects of deformation temperature and strain rate on its flow stress characteristics. A strain-compensated Arrhenius-type constitutive model was developed to accurately predict flow stress under various conditions. The model demonstrated high predictive accuracy, with a correlation coefficient (<i>R</i><sup>2</sup>) of 0.9984 and an average absolute relative error (AARE) of 0.6037%. Microstructural analysis revealed a transition from dynamic recovery (DRV) to discontinuous dynamic recrystallization (DDRX), with notable grain refinement occurring at elevated temperatures. Hot working maps were developed using the Murty and Prasad criteria to identify the optimal processing window for the TC11 alloy. Hot processing maps constructed using the Prasad and Murty instability criteria indicated an optimal processing window of 1123–1223 K and 0.01–0.1 s<sup>−1</sup>. The Murty criterion showed better agreement with observed microstructural instability, providing a more reliable basis for optimizing hot working parameters of TC11 titanium alloy.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":605,"journal":{"name":"JOM","volume":"78 10","pages":"9011 - 9027"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149027633","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
JOMPub Date : 2026-06-23DOI: 10.1007/s11837-026-08466-4
Shuai Hao, Guoping Luo, Yuanyuan Lu, Shengli An, Yifan Chai, Wei Song
{"title":"Research on Carbon Thermal Reduction Modification and the Self-Pulverization Mechanism of Blast Furnace Dust Synergizing with Basic Oxygen Furnace Slag","authors":"Shuai Hao, Guoping Luo, Yuanyuan Lu, Shengli An, Yifan Chai, Wei Song","doi":"10.1007/s11837-026-08466-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11837-026-08466-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study employed a \"reduction + modification\" treatment technique for steel slag, using the carbon (C) and SiO<sub>2</sub> from blast furnace dust as reductants and modifiers to perform carbothermal reduction modification on converter hot-sprayed slag. The process simultaneously achieved slag self-pulverization and iron recovery. Chemical composition and phase analysis of the slag and dust were initially conducted to identify their primary phases. Subsequently, thermodynamic simulations, experimental studies, and multi-method analyses systematically investigated the effects of the dust-to-slag ratio, carbothermal reduction temperature, and holding time on the product pulverization rate. The results indicated that increasing the dust-to-slag ratio and reduction temperature enhanced pulverization, achieving up to 86.84% under optimal conditions. However, insufficient reduction at lower ratios resulted in negligible self-pulverization. Orthogonal experiments optimized processing parameters, revealing that pulverized products primarily comprised Ca<sub>2</sub>Al<sub>2</sub>SiO<sub>7</sub>, RO, and <i>γ</i>-Ca<sub>2</sub>SiO<sub>4</sub>, which were devoid of phosphorus. Non-pulverized residues predominantly contained nCa<sub>2</sub>SiO<sub>4</sub>·Ca<sub>3</sub>(PO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub>. Furthermore, thermally stable Mn₂P facilitated high-temperature phosphorus reduction from nCa<sub>2</sub>SiO<sub>4</sub>·Ca<sub>3</sub>(PO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub>, promoting slag self-pulverization.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":605,"journal":{"name":"JOM","volume":"78 9","pages":"8267 - 8282"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148783296","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}