Surface modification of Ti-49.8at%Ni alloy by Ti ion implantation：phase transformation,corrosion, and cell behavior

The Ti?49.8at%Ni alloy was modified by Ti ion implantation to improve its corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. The chemical composition and morphologies of the TiNi alloy surface were determined using atomic force microscopy (AFM), auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results revealed that Ti ion implantation caused the reduction of Ni concentration and the formation of a TiO2 nano-film on the TiNi alloy. The phase transformation temperatures of the Ti–TiNi alloy remained almost invariable after Ti ion implantation. Electrochemical tests indicated that the corrosion resistance of TiNi increased after Ti ion im-plantation. Moreover, the Ni ion release rate in 0.9% NaCl solution for the TiNi alloy remarkably decreased due to the barrier effect of the TiO2 nano-film. The cell proliferation behavior on Ti-implanted TiNi was better than that on the untreated TiNi after cell culture for 1 d and 3 d.     

Surface modifications of biometallic commercially pure Ti and Ti–13Nb–13Zr alloy by picosecond Nd:YAG laser

The effects of picosecond Nd:YAG laser irradiation on chemical and morphological surface characteristics of the commercially pure titanium and Ti–13 Nb–13 Zr alloy in air and argon atmospheres were studied under different laser output energy values. During the interaction of laser irradiation with the investigated materials, a part of the energy was absorbed on the target surface, influencing surface modifications.Laser beam interaction with the target surface resulted in various morphological alterations, resulting in crater formation and the presence of microcracks and hydrodynamic structures. Moreover, different chemical changes were induced on the target materials' surfaces, resulting in the titanium oxide formation in the irradiation-affected area and consequently increasing the irradiation energy absorption. Given the high energy absorption at the site of interaction, the dimensions of the surface damaged area increased. Consequently, surface roughness increased.The appearance of surface oxides also led to the increased material hardness in the surface-modified area. Observed chemical and morphological changes were pronounced after laser irradiation of the Ti–13 Nb–13 Zr alloy surface.     

Effect of thermo-mechanical treatment on mechanical and elastic properties of Ti–36Nb–5Zr alloy

The evolutions of phase constitutions and mechanical properties of a β-phase Ti–36Nb–5Zr(wt%) alloy during thermo-mechanical treatment were investigated. The alloy consisted of dual(β t α″) phase and exhibited a double yielding phenomenon in solution treated state. After cold rolling and subsequent annealing at 698 K for 20 min, an excellent combination of high strength(833 MPa) and low modulus(46 GPa) was obtained. The high strength can be attributed to high density of dislocations, nanosized α phase and grain refinement. On the other hand, the low Young's modulus originates from the suppression of chemical stabilization of β phase during annealing, which guarantees the low β-phase stability. Furthermore, the single-crystal elastic constants of the annealed Ti–36Nb–5Zr alloy were extracted from polycrystalline alloy using an in-situ synchrotron X-ray technique. The results indicated that the low shear modulus C44 contributes to the low Young's modulus for the Ti–36Nb–5Zr alloy, suggesting that reducing C44 through thermo-mechanical treatment might be an efficient approach to realize low Young's modulus in β-phase Ti alloys. The results achieved in this study could be helpful to elucidate the origin of low modulus and sheds light on developing novel biomedical Ti alloys with both low modulus and high strength.     

Microstructure,phase stability and mechanical properties of Nb–Ni–Ti–Co–Zr and Nb–Ni–Ti–Co–Zr–Hf high entropy alloys

Owning to their excellent thermal stability and high strength at elevated temperature,high entropy alloys(HEAs) possess great potential for the application in aviation and aerospace fields.In present work,two novel Nb-Ni-Ti-Co-Zr and Nb-Ni-Ti-Co-Zr-Hf HEAs were prepared by arc melting and copper mold suction-casting method.The microstructure,phase stability,mechanical properties at room temperature and elevated temperature of the two HEAs were studied.Both of the HEAs possess high yield stress at room temperature,especially for the Nb-Ni-Ti-Co-Zr(with 2331 Mpa).In addition,the Nb-Ni-Ti-Co-Zr HEA exhibited high yield stress of 564 Mpa at elevated temperature of 800 ℃ and large compressive plastic strain(more than 50%at 800 ℃).Nb-Ni-Ti-Co-Zr-Hf alloy showed new phase precipitation at 800 ℃,whereas the structure of Nb-Ni-Ti-Co-Zr was more stable,which is one of the reason why it possesses high strength at room temperature and elevated temperature.The high temperature properties of the Nb-Ni-Ti-Co-Zr HEA make it promising for high temperature application.     

A Ti–Zr–Cu–Ni–Co–Fe–Al–Sn amorphous filler metal for improving the strength of Ti–6Al–4V alloy brazing joint

Ti_(50)Zr_(27)Cu_8Ni_4Co_3Fe_2Al_3Sn_3(at%) amorphous filler metal with low Cu and Ni contents in a melt-spun ribbon form was developed for improving mechanical properties of Ti–6Al–4V alloy brazing joint through decreasing brittle intermetallics in the braze zone. Investigation on the crystallization behavior of the multicomponent Ti–Zr–Cu–Ni–Co–Fe–Al–Sn amorphous alloy indicates the high stability of the supercooled liquid against crystallization that favors the formation of amorphous structure. The Ti–6Al–4V joint brazed with this Ti-based amorphous filler metal with low total content of Cu and Ni at 1203K for 900s mainly consists of α-Ti, β-Ti,minor Ti–Zr-rich phase and only a small amount of Ti_3Cu intermetallics, leading to the high shear strength of the joint of about 460 MPa. Multicomponent composition design of amorphous alloys is an effective way of tailoring filler metals for improving the joint strength.     

Effect of Zr and Ti on isothermal oxidation behavior of Nb–Si based alloys

The isothermal oxidation behavior of 56Nb-16Si-(20-x)Ti–3Cr–3Al-2Hf-xZr (x ?= ?0, 2, 5, 10 ?at. %) alloys was investigated at 800 ?°C and 1250 ?°C, respectively. The results show that increasing the Zr content evidently increased the oxidation rates at 800 ?°C, accompanied by the obvious occurrence of pesting oxidation. The alloys showed alike linear oxidation kinetics at 1250 ?°C. With the increase of Zr content, the adherence and integrity of oxide scales were improved, but the overall oxidation resistance was slightly deteriorated. The observed oxidation behavior may be attributed to the composition variation of Zr and Ti in the alloys. The oxidation mechanism associated with the composition variation is discussed in this study.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of titanium nitride coatings for cemented carbide cutting tools by pulsed high energy density plasma

Hard, wear-resistant and well-adhesive titanium nitride coatings on cemented carbide cutting tools were prepared by the pulsed high energy density plasma technique at ambient temperature. The results of Auger spectra analysis indicated that the interface between the coating and substrate was more than 250 nm. Under optimized deposition conditions, the highest critical load measured by nanoscratch tester was more than 90 mN, which meant that the TiN film was well adhesive to the substrate; the highest nanohardness and Young抯 modulus according to nanoindentation tests were near to 27 and 450 GPa. The results of cutting tests evaluated by turning hardened CrWMn steel in industrial conditions indicated that the wear resistance and edge life of the cemented carbide tools were enhanced dramatically because of the deposition of titanium nitride coatings. These improvements were attributed to the three combined effects: the deposition and ion implantation of the pulsed plasma and the becoming finer of the grain sizes.     

Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of Ti_2AlNb/TiAl brazed joint using newly-developed Ti–Ni–Nb–Zr filler alloy

Joining of Ti_2AlNb alloy to TiAl intermetallics was conducted by the newly-developed Ti–Ni–Nb–Zr brazing filler alloy.The microstructure evolution of the joints was investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM),energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD).The macro-micro mechanical properties were studied by shear test and nano-indentation test.Typical interfacial microstructures across the brazing seam were Ti_2AlNb substrate,α_2-Ti_3Al+β-Ti,γ-TiAl+Ti_2Ni+TiNi+α_2-Ti_3Al,α_2-Ti_3Al+β-Ti,TiAl substrate.The Ti_2Ni phase were firstly dissolved in the joints brazed at 1000°C for 10 min and then precipitated after a prolonged holding time of 15 min.The nano-indentation test revealed that Ti_2Ni phase exhibited the highest hardness of 12.60 GPa.The joints brazed at 1000°C/15 min presented the maximum shear strength of271 MPa.The dissolution and precipitation behavior of Ti_2Ni phase was also discussed.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of TiAl/TiAl joints brazed with a newly developed Ti–Ni–Nb–Zr quaternary filler alloy

A novel Ti-Ni-Nb-Zr quaternary filler alloy with the composition of Ti-(19～25)Ni-(15～25)(Nb+Zr)(wt.%) was designed.The filler alloy was composed of(Ti,Nb)ss,(Ti,Zr,Nb)ss+(Ti,Zr)₂Ni,α-Ti and Ti₂Ni phases.It was fabricated into filler foil with a thickness of about 45 μm by a rapid solidification technique.The results indicate that the liquidus temperature of the Ti-Ni-Nb-Zr brazing alloy was about 978℃,and the brazing alloy presented excellent wettability on TiAl substrate.T...     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of （Ti,AI,Zr）N/（Ti,AI,Zr,Cr）N films on cemented carbide substrates

（Ti,Al,Zr）N/（Ti,Al,Zr,Cr）N bilayer films were deposited on cemented carbide （WC-8%Co） substrates by multi-arc ion plating （MAIP） using two Ti-AI-Zr alloy targets and one pure Cr target. To investigate the composition, morphology, and crystalline structure of the bilayer films, a number of complementary methods of elemental and structural analysis were used, namely, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, energy disperse X-ray spectroscopy （EDS）, and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. Adhesive strength and mechanical properties of the films were evaluated by scratch testing and Vickers microindentation, respectively. It is shown that the resulting films have a TiN-type face-centered cubic （FCC） structure. The films exhibit fully dense, uniform, and columnar morphology. Furthermore, as the bias voltages vary from -50 to -200 V, the microhardness （max. Hv001 4100） and adhesive strength （max. 〉 200 N） of the bilayer films are superior to those of the （Ti,Al,Zr）N and （Ti,Al,Zr, Cr）N monolayer films.     

Stability of thermal cycling and high temperature mechanical properties for Ti–V–Al–B lightweight shape memory alloy

The microstructure of the Ti–V–Al shape memory alloy with refined grain and in-situ TiB phase was modified by doping minor Boron (B), which contributes to the superior mechanical performances and strain recovery characteristics. Compared with other quaternary Ti–V–Al-X alloys, the Ti–V–Al–B alloy showed the largest ultimate tensile stress due to the solution strengthening, grain refinement and precipitation strengthening of in-situ TiB phase. Moreover, the Ti–V–Al alloy added 0.1 ?at.%B possessed the maximum yield stress of 701 ?MPa and the largest tensile fracture strain of 27.6% at the temperature of 150 ?°C. Meanwhile, the excellent strain recovery characteristics with fully recoverable strain of 4% could be obtained due to B addition. Besides, B addition suppressed the precipitation of ω phase during thermal cycling and further improved the thermal cycling stability of the Ti–V–Al alloy.     

Microwave sintering effects on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti–51at%Ni shape memory alloys

Ti–51at%Ni shape memory alloys(SMAs) were successfully produced via a powder metallurgy and microwave sintering technique.The influence of sintering parameters on porosity reduction,microstructure,phase transformation temperatures,and mechanical properties were investigated by optical microscopy,field-emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD),differential scanning calorimetry(DSC),compression tests,and microhardness tests.Varying the microwave temperature and holding time was found to strongly affect the density of porosity,presence of precipitates,transformation temperatures,and mechanical properties.The lowest density and smallest pore size were observed in the Ti–51at%Ni samples sintered at 900°C for 5 min or at 900°C for 30 min.The predominant martensite phases of β2 and β19′ were observed in the microstructure of Ti–51at%Ni,and their existence varied in accordance with the sintering temperature and the holding time.In the DSC thermograms,multi-transformation peaks were observed during heating,whereas a single peak was observed during cooling;these peaks correspond to the presence of the β2,R,and β19′ phases.The maximum strength and strain among the Ti–51at%Ni SMAs were 1376 MPa and 29%,respectively,for the sample sintered at 900°C for 30 min because of this sample's minimal porosity.     

Ti – Cu– Zr–Fe– Nb ultrafine structur e-dendrite composites with good mechanical properties and biocompat ibility

Ti-Cu-Zr-Fe-Nb ultrafine structure-dendrite composites were designed by inducing Nb and more Ti to a Ti-Cu-Zr-Fe glass-forming alloy composition and prepared by copper mold casting.The composite alloys consist of β-Ti dendrites and ultrafine-structured CuTi₂ and CuTi phases as well as a trace amount of glassy phase.The volume fraction of β-Ti dendrites increases with the increase in content of Nb which acted as the β-Ti phase stabilizer in the alloys.The composites exhibit high compressive yield strength exceeding1200 MPa,maximum strength around 1800 MPa and low Young’s modulus around 48 GPa.The plasticity of the alloys is strongly influenced by the volume fraction and morphology of the dendritic β-Ti phase,and the compressive plastic strain was enlarged from 5.9%for the 4 at%Nb alloy to 9.2%for the 8 at%Nb alloy.The preliminary cell culture experiment indicated good biocompatibility of the composite alloys free from highly toxic elements Ni and Be.These Ti-based composite alloys are promising to have potential structural and biomedical applications due to the combination of good mechanical properties and biocompatibility.     

Bulk Al–Al_3Zr composite prepared by mechanical alloying and hot extrusion for high-temperature applications

Bulk Al/Al_3Zr composite was prepared by a combination of mechanical alloying(MA) and hot extrusion processes. Elemental Al and Zr powders were milled for up to 10 h and heat treated at 600℃ for 1 h to form stable Al_3Zr. The prepared Al_3Zr powder was then mixed with the pure Al powder to produce an Al–Al_3Zr composite. The composite powder was finally consolidated by hot extrusion at 550℃. The mechanical properties of consolidated samples were evaluated by hardness and tension tests at room and elevated temperatures. The results show that annealing of the 10-h-milled powder at 600℃ for 1 h led to the formation of a stable Al_3Zr phase. Differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) results confirmed that the formation of Al_3Zr began with the nucleation of a metastable phase, which subsequently transformed to the stable tetragonal Al_3Zr structure. The tension yield strength of the Al-10wt%Al_3Zr composite was determined to be 103 MPa, which is approximately twice that for pure Al(53 MPa). The yield stress of the Al/Al_3Zr composite at 300℃ is just 10% lower than that at room temperature, which demonstrates the strong potential for the prepared composite to be used in high-temperature structural applications.     

Bulk Al–Al3Zr composite prepared by mechanical alloying and hot extrusion for high-temperature applications

Bulk Al/Al3Zr composite was prepared by a combination of mechanical alloying (MA) and hot extrusion processes. Elemental Al and Zr powders were milled for up to 10 h and heat treated at 600°C for 1 h to form stable Al3Zr. The prepared Al3Zr powder was then mixed with the pure Al powder to produce an Al–Al3Zr composite. The composite powder was finally consolidated by hot extrusion at 550°C. The mechanical properties of consolidated samples were evaluated by hardness and tension tests at room and elevated temperatures. The results show that annealing of the 10-h-milled powder at 600°C for 1 h led to the formation of a stable Al3Zr phase. Differential scanning calorime-try (DSC) results confirmed that the formation of Al3Zr began with the nucleation of a metastable phase, which subsequently transformed to the stable tetragonal Al3Zr structure. The tension yield strength of the Al?10wt%Al3Zr composite was determined to be 103 MPa, which is approximately twice that for pure Al (53 MPa). The yield stress of the Al/Al3Zr composite at 300°C is just 10% lower than that at room tem-perature, which demonstrates the strong potential for the prepared composite to be used in high-temperature structural applications.     

Influence of catalyst on structural and morphological properties of TiO2 nanostructured films prepared by sol–gel on glass

Transparent TiO2 thin films have been prepared by the sol-gel method using titanium alkoxides as precursors.Thin films were deposited on glass supports by the dip-coating technique.The TiO2 layer acts as a self-cleaning coating generated from its photocatalysis and photoinduced superhydrophilicity.The crystalline structure of TiO2 films was dominantly identified as the anatase phase,consisted of uniform spherical particles of about 14-50 nm in size,which strongly depends upon catalyst-type and heat treatment temperature.Increasing heat treating temperature can lead to an increase in crystalline size.The results indicated that the sample S.S(sample derived from sol containing sulfuric acid as catalyst) exhibits superhydrophilic nature and better photocatalytic activity,which can be attributed to its higher anatase content and lower crystalline size.Morphological studies,carried out using Atomic Force Microscopy(AFM),confirm the presence of crystalline phase with such a grain size and low surface roughness.Thus,the applied films exhibiting high photocatalytic activity,superhydrophilic behavior,and low surface roughness can be used as an efficient self-cleaning coating on glass and other optical applications.     

Investigation of the effects of MoO_3 buffer layer on charge carrier injection and extraction by capacitance–voltage measurement

The effects of MoO3thin buffer layer on charge carrier injection and extraction in inverted configuration ITO/ZnO/MEH-PPV(poly(2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene))/MoO3(0,5 nm)/Ag hybrid solar cells are investigated by capacitance–voltage measurement under dark and light illumination conditions.The efficiency of charge carrier injection and extraction is enhanced by inserting 5 nm MoO3thin layer,resulting in better device performances.Charge carrier transport of the whole device is improved and the interface energy barrier is reduced by inserting 5 nm MoO3thin buffer layer.The device fill factor is increased from 54.1%to 57.5%after modifying 5 nm MoO3.Simulations and experimental results consistently show that in the forward voltage under dark,the device with the 5 nm MoO3thin layer modification generates larger value of capacitance than the device without MoO3layer.While under illumination,the device with the 5 nm MoO3layer generates smaller value of capacitance than the device without the 5 nm MoO3layer in the bias region of reverse and before the peak position of maximum capacitance(VCmax).The underlying mechanism of the MoO3anode buffer layer on device current density–voltage characteristics is discussed.     

Effect of Zr addition on the stability of precipitated Laves phase and mechanical properties of Fe–Cr–Al-based alloys at high temperatures

The effect of a small amount of Zr addition on the temperature-dependent stability of Laves phase particles and mechanical properties of Fe-13.5Cr-4.73Al-2.07Mo-(0.34–0.5)Nb-(0.65–0.98)Ta-(0–0.33)Zr (wt. %) ferritic alloys was investigated in the present study. The designed alloy ingots were hot-rolled, aged at 1073 ?K for 24 ?h, and then re-treated at 1273 ?K, 1323 ?K, 1373 ?K, and 1473 ?K for 1 ?h, respectively. It was found that the Zr addition could not only stabilize the Fe₂M Laves phase (M ?= ?Mo,Nb,Ta,Zr) to a much higher temperature, but also induce the formation of stable Fe₂₃Zr₆ phase. The high-temperature (HT) microstructural stability of the alloys significantly was improved, as evidenced by the fact that a certain amount (0.66–1.19%) of precipitates (Fe₂M, Fe₂₃Zr₆, and core(Fe₂₃Zr₆)-shell(Fe₂M)-structured particles) with an appropriate size (～1.0 ?μm) uniformly distributed in the ferritic matrix even after being re-treated at 1473 ?K. Particularly, the formation of core-shell-structured particles at HTs was studied from the viewpoint of both solid solubility and diffusion coefficient of M in the matrix. All these aged alloys exhibited prominent mechanical properties at both room and elevated temperatures, showing high yield strength with σ_YS ?= ?490–560 ?MPa at room-temperature and σ_YS ?= ?80–85 ?MPa at 1073 ?K. The strengthening effect was further discussed in light of various strengthening mechanisms, and the calculated strength are in good agreement with the experimental results.     

Effect of heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of structural steel–mild steel composite plates fabricated by explosion welding

Two dissimilar steel plates, structural steel and mild steel, were joined by explosion welding to form a composite. The composite was then heat-treated by quenching at 840°C for 30 min followed by tempering at 200°C for 3 h. The microstructure was investigated under an optical microscope and a scanning electron microscope. The mechanical properties were measured using Vickers microhardness and Charpy impact tests. The results show a deformed interface with typical wave features at the welding zone, but no defects were observed. Moreover,the ferrite in the parent plate in the weld zone was elongated due to the strong plastic deformation from the explosion. After heat treatment, the hardness of the flyer plate(structural steel) was over HV0.2 800, while that of the parent plate(mild steel) was HV0.2 200. The increase in hardness was due to the presence of martensite. Moreover, the average impact energy was increased from 18.5 to 44.0 J following heat treatment;this is because of the formation of recrystallized grains at the weld interface, which is due to the dynamic recovery and local recrystallization,and the strong elemental diffusion that occurred between the two plates.