Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-28DOI: 10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121972
Sang Yoon Song , Tae Jin Jang , Chang-Gi Lee , Dae Cheol Yang , Min Young Sung , Gunjick Lee , Jung Hun Han , Ju-Hyun Baek , Jin-Yoo Suh , Alireza Zargaran , Aparna Saksena , Baptiste Gault , Won-Seok Ko , Se-Ho Kim , Seok Su Sohn
Achieving ultrahigh strength in advanced structural materials without compromising their resistance to hydrogen embrittlement (HE) remains a critical challenge. Here, we introduce a design strategy that exploits discontinuous L12 precipitation of strengthening particles also boosting HE resistance in a high-entropy alloy. The discontinuous reaction first produces serrated grain boundaries that induce crack deflection at multiple scales, effectively arresting intergranular crack propagation. The precipitates are ordered, coherent L12 nanorods with a high hydrogen trapping capability, as revealed by direct isotopically-labelled atom probe measurements and density functional theory calculations, significantly inhibiting hydrogen diffusion. This unique microstructural combination underpins a tensile strength of ∼1.7 GPa with a 33% superior HE resistance compared to a single-phase face-centered cubic reference alloy. Our strategy not only breaks the conventional trade-off between strength and HE, but also delivers higher gains in both tensile strength and HE resistance than conventional approaches, establishing discontinuous L12 precipitation as a versatile strategy for designing ultrahigh-strength HE-resistant alloys, with potential applications in hydrogen infrastructure and beyond.
{"title":"Reconciling ultrahigh strength and hydrogen embrittlement resistance via discontinuous L12 precipitation in a high-entropy alloy","authors":"Sang Yoon Song , Tae Jin Jang , Chang-Gi Lee , Dae Cheol Yang , Min Young Sung , Gunjick Lee , Jung Hun Han , Ju-Hyun Baek , Jin-Yoo Suh , Alireza Zargaran , Aparna Saksena , Baptiste Gault , Won-Seok Ko , Se-Ho Kim , Seok Su Sohn","doi":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121972","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121972","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Achieving ultrahigh strength in advanced structural materials without compromising their resistance to hydrogen embrittlement (HE) remains a critical challenge. Here, we introduce a design strategy that exploits discontinuous L1<sub>2</sub> precipitation of strengthening particles also boosting HE resistance in a high-entropy alloy. The discontinuous reaction first produces serrated grain boundaries that induce crack deflection at multiple scales, effectively arresting intergranular crack propagation. The precipitates are ordered, coherent L1<sub>2</sub> nanorods with a high hydrogen trapping capability, as revealed by direct isotopically-labelled atom probe measurements and density functional theory calculations, significantly inhibiting hydrogen diffusion. This unique microstructural combination underpins a tensile strength of ∼1.7 GPa with a 33% superior HE resistance compared to a single-phase face-centered cubic reference alloy. Our strategy not only breaks the conventional trade-off between strength and HE, but also delivers higher gains in both tensile strength and HE resistance than conventional approaches, establishing discontinuous L1<sub>2</sub> precipitation as a versatile strategy for designing ultrahigh-strength HE-resistant alloys, with potential applications in hydrogen infrastructure and beyond.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":238,"journal":{"name":"Acta Materialia","volume":"307 ","pages":"Article 121972"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146072318","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-20DOI: 10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121949
Kevin Yu , Jamesa Stokes , Kunal K. Jha , Bryan Harder , Hosea M. Nelson , Katherine T. Faber
A newly discovered doped silicon aluminum scandate (SAS) phase was successfully isolated and synthesized. Microcrystal electron diffraction was employed to determine the doped SAS crystal structure, revealing a triclinic (P) unit cell with the nominal formula Si2Al2Sc14O28 with minority dopants of CaO, MgO, Fe2O3, and TiO2. Powder X-ray diffraction and Rietveld refinement confirmed the structure of the doped SAS material. Electron-probe microanalysis and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance were used to better understand the composition and local structure of the doped SAS phase. The results indicated that there are extensive cation substitutions within the doped SAS material. Differential thermal analysis on doped SAS demonstrated that the material is thermally stable up to 2150 °C, suggesting potential for refractory applications. Additional characterization, enabled by the solved structure of doped SAS, focused on relevant properties for refractory materials. The thermal expansion behavior of the doped SAS material was evaluated using high-temperature, in situ X-ray diffraction, while the reaction pathway for SAS formation was determined using a combination of high-temperature X-ray diffraction and annealing experiments. Ultimately, this study defines the structure, composition, and thermal behavior of the doped SAS material, while also highlighting the utility of microcrystal electron diffraction for structure determination of complex oxide phases.
{"title":"Discovery and characterization of a silicon aluminum scandate (SAS) material","authors":"Kevin Yu , Jamesa Stokes , Kunal K. Jha , Bryan Harder , Hosea M. Nelson , Katherine T. Faber","doi":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121949","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121949","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A newly discovered doped silicon aluminum scandate (SAS) phase was successfully isolated and synthesized. Microcrystal electron diffraction was employed to determine the doped SAS crystal structure, revealing a triclinic (<em>P</em><span><math><mover><mrow><mn>1</mn></mrow><mo>‾</mo></mover></math></span>) unit cell with the nominal formula Si<sub>2</sub>Al<sub>2</sub>Sc<sub>14</sub>O<sub>28</sub> with minority dopants of CaO, MgO, Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>, and TiO<sub>2</sub>. Powder X-ray diffraction and Rietveld refinement confirmed the structure of the doped SAS material. Electron-probe microanalysis and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance were used to better understand the composition and local structure of the doped SAS phase. The results indicated that there are extensive cation substitutions within the doped SAS material. Differential thermal analysis on doped SAS demonstrated that the material is thermally stable up to 2150 °C, suggesting potential for refractory applications. Additional characterization, enabled by the solved structure of doped SAS, focused on relevant properties for refractory materials. The thermal expansion behavior of the doped SAS material was evaluated using high-temperature, <em>in situ</em> X-ray diffraction, while the reaction pathway for SAS formation was determined using a combination of high-temperature X-ray diffraction and annealing experiments. Ultimately, this study defines the structure, composition, and thermal behavior of the doped SAS material, while also highlighting the utility of microcrystal electron diffraction for structure determination of complex oxide phases.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":238,"journal":{"name":"Acta Materialia","volume":"307 ","pages":"Article 121949"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146006384","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-23DOI: 10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121962
Wenhao Zhang , Wen Wang , Jibo Tan , Xing Gong , En-Hou Han , Wenjun Kuang
The preferential intergranular oxidation (PIO) behavior of 316L stainless steel (SS) exposed to oxygen saturated Lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) at 550 °C was investigated. PIO occurred at both random high angle grain boundaries (RHABs) and coherent twin boundaries (CTBs), with RHABs exhibiting deeper intergranular oxidation. The high diffusivity of RHAB supports rapid diffusion of Cr toward the PIO front, leading to the formation of extensive polycrystalline Cr2O3. In contrast, only a thin flake of Cr2O3 was observed at the oxidation front of CTB. Diffusion induced grain boundary migration (DIGM) zones were observed not only at RHAB oxidation front, but also at CTB front. Driven by Ni dissolution through intergranular pores, the DIGM zone further degrades into fragmented Ni-enriched particles along RHAB. Nano-pores, formed via Ni selective leaching and Fe outward diffusion, were observed in intergranular oxides at the oxidation fronts of both RHAB and CTB. These intergranular pores constitute rapid diffusion paths, significantly aggravating PIO.
{"title":"Insights into the preferential intergranular oxidation mechanism of 316L austenitic stainless steel exposed to oxygen saturated lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE)","authors":"Wenhao Zhang , Wen Wang , Jibo Tan , Xing Gong , En-Hou Han , Wenjun Kuang","doi":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121962","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121962","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The preferential intergranular oxidation (PIO) behavior of 316L stainless steel (SS) exposed to oxygen saturated Lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) at 550 °C was investigated. PIO occurred at both random high angle grain boundaries (RHABs) and coherent twin boundaries (CTBs), with RHABs exhibiting deeper intergranular oxidation. The high diffusivity of RHAB supports rapid diffusion of Cr toward the PIO front, leading to the formation of extensive polycrystalline Cr<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>. In contrast, only a thin flake of Cr<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> was observed at the oxidation front of CTB. Diffusion induced grain boundary migration (DIGM) zones were observed not only at RHAB oxidation front, but also at CTB front. Driven by Ni dissolution through intergranular pores, the DIGM zone further degrades into fragmented Ni-enriched particles along RHAB. Nano-pores, formed via Ni selective leaching and Fe outward diffusion, were observed in intergranular oxides at the oxidation fronts of both RHAB and CTB. These intergranular pores constitute rapid diffusion paths, significantly aggravating PIO.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":238,"journal":{"name":"Acta Materialia","volume":"307 ","pages":"Article 121962"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146032914","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-29DOI: 10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121976
Jiajun Zhang , Jiajun Wang , Yu Yan , Fei Wang , Jian Wang , Jianjiang Zhao , Yunmin Chen , Yang Ju , Hua Wei
Introducing nanoscale structures into metallic materials is a well-established strategy to achieve a superior strength–ductility balance, yet it often relies on complex, multi-step thermo-mechanical processing. Here, we demonstrate a millisecond-scale electric heating treatment as a simple and effective approach to embed nanostructures in hot-forged Ti-6Al-4V alloys, simultaneously enhancing tensile strength (∼1240.5 MPa) and fracture elongation (∼15.5%). Unlike conventional annealing, the process combines ultrafast localized Joule heating with rapid cooling. The transient high temperatures accelerate short-range elemental diffusion and promote the formation of additional β-Ti clusters. Meanwhile, the brief heating duration suppresses long-range diffusion, stabilizes the α-Ti matrix, and drives the formation of abundant heterogeneous nanostructures. The resulting alternant nanoscale α′-Ti martensite and β-Ti lamellae with distinct misorientations strengthen the alloy, while <c+a>-type dislocations activate at interphase boundaries complement <a>-type slip and enhance plastic flow. Furthermore, localized Joule heating facilitates dislocation depinning and slip transmission, contributing to improved ductility. Overall, ultrafast electric heating provides an effective pathway for integrating nano-lamellar architectures, offering a promising strategy for microstructural engineering in advanced metallic materials.
{"title":"Boosting Strength and ductility of Ti-6Al-4V alloy via millisecond-level electric treatment induced heterogeneous nanostructures","authors":"Jiajun Zhang , Jiajun Wang , Yu Yan , Fei Wang , Jian Wang , Jianjiang Zhao , Yunmin Chen , Yang Ju , Hua Wei","doi":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121976","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121976","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Introducing nanoscale structures into metallic materials is a well-established strategy to achieve a superior strength–ductility balance, yet it often relies on complex, multi-step thermo-mechanical processing. Here, we demonstrate a millisecond-scale electric heating treatment as a simple and effective approach to embed nanostructures in hot-forged Ti-6Al-4V alloys, simultaneously enhancing tensile strength (∼1240.5 MPa) and fracture elongation (∼15.5%). Unlike conventional annealing, the process combines ultrafast localized Joule heating with rapid cooling. The transient high temperatures accelerate short-range elemental diffusion and promote the formation of additional β-Ti clusters. Meanwhile, the brief heating duration suppresses long-range diffusion, stabilizes the α-Ti matrix, and drives the formation of abundant heterogeneous nanostructures. The resulting alternant nanoscale α′-Ti martensite and β-Ti lamellae with distinct misorientations strengthen the alloy, while <<em>c</em>+<em>a</em>>-type dislocations activate at interphase boundaries complement <<em>a</em>>-type slip and enhance plastic flow. Furthermore, localized Joule heating facilitates dislocation depinning and slip transmission, contributing to improved ductility. Overall, ultrafast electric heating provides an effective pathway for integrating nano-lamellar architectures, offering a promising strategy for microstructural engineering in advanced metallic materials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":238,"journal":{"name":"Acta Materialia","volume":"307 ","pages":"Article 121976"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146072290","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-22DOI: 10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121956
Yang Yang , Guangya Li , Yixin Lin , Yan Chen , Hongxiang Zong , Xiangdong Ding , Xun-Li Wang , Jun Sun
Two-dimensional (2D) materials exhibit diverse thermal expansion behavior—with coefficients spanning a broad range from negative to positive values—fundamentally challenging our understanding of thermal expansion mechanisms and creating critical uncertainties in thermal stress prediction for next-generation devices. Despite numerous experimental measurements, the fundamental structural mechanisms underlying this remarkable variability remains elusive. Here, we resolve this longstanding puzzle through systematical molecular dynamics simulations of four representative 2D materials: hBN, PbTe, graphene, and MoS₂. Our simulations reveal that thermal expansion behavior is governed by the interplay between the intrinsic chemical bond thermal expansion and out-of-plane structural flexibility. This interplay enables 2D materials to achieve thermal expansion coefficients ranging from -15.0 × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ to +52.4 × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹. Crucially, we demonstrate that thickness and lateral size effects arise exclusively through modulation of out-of-plane deformation freedom, while substrate interactions operate via a dual pathway that simultaneously constrains structural flexibility and modifies intrinsic bond behavior. Our findings culminate in a universal scaling relationship between area-specific bending rigidity and thermal expansion coefficients, providing the first predictive framework for 2D material thermal behavior.
{"title":"Structural origins of thermal expansion behavior in 2D materials","authors":"Yang Yang , Guangya Li , Yixin Lin , Yan Chen , Hongxiang Zong , Xiangdong Ding , Xun-Li Wang , Jun Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121956","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121956","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Two-dimensional (2D) materials exhibit diverse thermal expansion behavior—with coefficients spanning a broad range from negative to positive values—fundamentally challenging our understanding of thermal expansion mechanisms and creating critical uncertainties in thermal stress prediction for next-generation devices. Despite numerous experimental measurements, the fundamental structural mechanisms underlying this remarkable variability remains elusive. Here, we resolve this longstanding puzzle through systematical molecular dynamics simulations of four representative 2D materials: <em>h</em>BN, PbTe, graphene, and MoS₂. Our simulations reveal that thermal expansion behavior is governed by the interplay between the intrinsic chemical bond thermal expansion and out-of-plane structural flexibility. This interplay enables 2D materials to achieve thermal expansion coefficients ranging from -15.0 × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ to +52.4 × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹. Crucially, we demonstrate that thickness and lateral size effects arise exclusively through modulation of out-of-plane deformation freedom, while substrate interactions operate via a dual pathway that simultaneously constrains structural flexibility and modifies intrinsic bond behavior. Our findings culminate in a universal scaling relationship between area-specific bending rigidity and thermal expansion coefficients, providing the first predictive framework for 2D material thermal behavior.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":238,"journal":{"name":"Acta Materialia","volume":"307 ","pages":"Article 121956"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146014353","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-02-05DOI: 10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121991
H.Z. Pan , S. Jiang , Z.F. He , X.F. Chen , X.X. Dong , H. Zhou , N. Jia
Heterostructure design demonstrates great potential in overcoming the strength-ductility trade-off in materials. Here, a cross-scale heterostructure was constructed in the FeMnCoCr multi-principal element alloy by performing triaxial cyclic compression (TCC) on bulk alloy followed by short-time annealing (denoted as "Blocky" material). For comparison, thin slices extracted from the TCC-processed block were annealed (denoted as "Sliced" material). At the macroscopic scale of the Blocky material, a gradient distribution of recrystallization is formed from the surface to the core. The high-strain core contains 13.3–18.1% recrystallized grains with dense dislocations, while the low-strain subcenter has less recrystallized grains (11.6–14.5%) and lower dislocation density, leading to gradient microhardness and kernel average misorientation distributions. In contrast, the Sliced material shows 20.5–24.4% recrystallization at both positions and uniform microstructure. At the grain scale, in the Blocky material non-recrystallized regions hinder plastic deformation via dense dislocation cells, local chemical order (LCO) laths, deformation twins and 9R-mediated nano-twins, while the recrystallized regions act as soft domains. At the nanoscale, extensive LCO further impedes dislocation motion. This cross-scale heterogeneity induces significant hetero-deformation-induced strengthening. The subcenter and center of the Blocky material, as well as the recrystallized/non-recrystallized domains within each region, sequentially activate deformation mechanisms. This facilitates continuous strain transfer across sample and grain scales, suppressing localized necking. Persistent activation of dislocation slip, stacking faults, nano-twins and bidirectional transformation enables the material to achieve a high yield strength of 880 MPa and an impressive fracture strain of 36%. These findings provide new insights for designing high-performance heterogeneous metallic materials.
{"title":"Cross-scale heterogeneity enables strengthening and strain de-localization in a FeMnCoCr multi-principal element alloy","authors":"H.Z. Pan , S. Jiang , Z.F. He , X.F. Chen , X.X. Dong , H. Zhou , N. Jia","doi":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121991","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121991","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Heterostructure design demonstrates great potential in overcoming the strength-ductility trade-off in materials. Here, a cross-scale heterostructure was constructed in the FeMnCoCr multi-principal element alloy by performing triaxial cyclic compression (TCC) on bulk alloy followed by short-time annealing (denoted as \"Blocky\" material). For comparison, thin slices extracted from the TCC-processed block were annealed (denoted as \"Sliced\" material). At the macroscopic scale of the Blocky material, a gradient distribution of recrystallization is formed from the surface to the core. The high-strain core contains 13.3–18.1% recrystallized grains with dense dislocations, while the low-strain subcenter has less recrystallized grains (11.6–14.5%) and lower dislocation density, leading to gradient microhardness and kernel average misorientation distributions. In contrast, the Sliced material shows 20.5–24.4% recrystallization at both positions and uniform microstructure. At the grain scale, in the Blocky material non-recrystallized regions hinder plastic deformation via dense dislocation cells, local chemical order (LCO) laths, deformation twins and 9R-mediated nano-twins, while the recrystallized regions act as soft domains. At the nanoscale, extensive LCO further impedes dislocation motion. This cross-scale heterogeneity induces significant hetero-deformation-induced strengthening. The subcenter and center of the Blocky material, as well as the recrystallized/non-recrystallized domains within each region, sequentially activate deformation mechanisms. This facilitates continuous strain transfer across sample and grain scales, suppressing localized necking. Persistent activation of dislocation slip, stacking faults, nano-twins and bidirectional transformation enables the material to achieve a high yield strength of 880 MPa and an impressive fracture strain of 36%. These findings provide new insights for designing high-performance heterogeneous metallic materials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":238,"journal":{"name":"Acta Materialia","volume":"307 ","pages":"Article 121991"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146185557","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-20DOI: 10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121951
Runhao Zhang , Yao Wang , Dayong An , Xuchen Zhang , Shuyuan Zhang , Senmao Liang , Hao Xiang , Chao Yang , Weijia Gong
The local stress field in α-Zr matrix induced by δ-hydride precipitation is known to affect hydride microstructure, whereas the underlying mechanism remains ambiguous. This study exploits phase-field modeling of six δ-variants corresponding to potential shearing directions for the α-δ transformation to investigate influences of precipitation stresses on the nucleation and interaction behaviors of hydride platelets, in association with high angular-resolution electron backscatter diffraction (HR-EBSD) determination. Both the modeling and experimental results demonstrate that the precipitation stresses are characterized as significant concentration of triaxial tension and the shear component in the vicinity of hydride tips. This characteristic of stress distribution is further identified to promote autocatalytic nucleation and variant selection of daughter hydrides at tips of a pre-existing one. With respect to the pre-existing variant, the identical type and the opposite shearing variant exhibiting prevailing formation probabilities beyond the others, yet distinct nucleation sites due to stress gradient of the shear component. Hydride evolution simulations reveal that the identical variants stack into chain structures characterized by intermediate gaps yielding compressive stress, while the variants with opposite shear directions form intersections where the shear stress is effectively relieved. This work elucidates the governing influence of precipitation stresses on the autocatalytic nucleation and stacking interaction of hydrides, providing new insights into hydride formation mechanism in zirconium alloys.
{"title":"Hydride precipitation stresses governing autocatalytic nucleation and stacking interaction in zirconium alloys: Phase-field modeling and HR-EBSD determination","authors":"Runhao Zhang , Yao Wang , Dayong An , Xuchen Zhang , Shuyuan Zhang , Senmao Liang , Hao Xiang , Chao Yang , Weijia Gong","doi":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121951","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121951","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The local stress field in α-Zr matrix induced by δ-hydride precipitation is known to affect hydride microstructure, whereas the underlying mechanism remains ambiguous. This study exploits phase-field modeling of six δ-variants corresponding to potential shearing directions for the α-δ transformation to investigate influences of precipitation stresses on the nucleation and interaction behaviors of hydride platelets, in association with high angular-resolution electron backscatter diffraction (HR-EBSD) determination. Both the modeling and experimental results demonstrate that the precipitation stresses are characterized as significant concentration of triaxial tension and the <span><math><mrow><msub><mrow><mo>{</mo><mn>0001</mn><mo>}</mo></mrow><mi>α</mi></msub><msub><mrow><mo><</mo><mn>10</mn><mo>−</mo><mn>10</mn><mo>></mo></mrow><mi>α</mi></msub></mrow></math></span> shear component in the vicinity of hydride tips. This characteristic of stress distribution is further identified to promote autocatalytic nucleation and variant selection of daughter hydrides at tips of a pre-existing one. With respect to the pre-existing variant, the identical type and the opposite shearing variant exhibiting prevailing formation probabilities beyond the others, yet distinct nucleation sites due to stress gradient of the shear component. Hydride evolution simulations reveal that the identical variants stack into chain structures characterized by intermediate gaps yielding compressive stress, while the variants with opposite shear directions form intersections where the shear stress is effectively relieved. This work elucidates the governing influence of precipitation stresses on the autocatalytic nucleation and stacking interaction of hydrides, providing new insights into hydride formation mechanism in zirconium alloys.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":238,"journal":{"name":"Acta Materialia","volume":"307 ","pages":"Article 121951"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146005937","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Atomically precise engineering of nanocatalyst surfaces is critical for advancing heterogeneous catalysis, yet achieving both structural uniformity and electronic tunability remains challenging. Here, we report an interstitial atom-mediated strategy for constructing anti-perovskite Ni3CuN nanocatalysts featuring square-planar Ni surfaces coordinated by nitrogen. The resulting nanoparticles adopt cubic morphologies, undergoing nitrogen-driven facet reconstruction from high-index {210}/{110} planes to thermodynamically favored {100} facets. Atomic-resolution imaging and simulations reveal that these surfaces preferentially expose Ni-N arrangements on (00) terminations, in contrast to Ni-Cu configurations on (100) facets. This well-defined surface architecture, characterized by expanded Ni-Ni distances and electron-deficient Ni sites, leads to a substantial enhancement in acetylene hydrogenation selectivity (from 25.5% to 80.1%), while maintaining or surpassing the intrinsic activity of pure Ni and exhibiting excellent stability over 110 h of testing. These findings establish an interstitial atom-based strategy for tailoring catalytic nanostructures with precise control over surface geometry and electronic structure.
{"title":"Interstitial nitrogen-engineered square-planar Ni surfaces enabling efficient hydrogenation","authors":"Yinghui Pu , Yiming Niu , Tongtong Gao , Junnan Chen , Bingsen Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121954","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121954","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Atomically precise engineering of nanocatalyst surfaces is critical for advancing heterogeneous catalysis, yet achieving both structural uniformity and electronic tunability remains challenging. Here, we report an interstitial atom-mediated strategy for constructing anti-perovskite Ni<sub>3</sub>CuN nanocatalysts featuring square-planar Ni surfaces coordinated by nitrogen. The resulting nanoparticles adopt cubic morphologies, undergoing nitrogen-driven facet reconstruction from high-index {210}/{110} planes to thermodynamically favored {100} facets. Atomic-resolution imaging and simulations reveal that these surfaces preferentially expose Ni-N arrangements on (<span><math><mover><mn>1</mn><mo>¯</mo></mover></math></span>00) terminations, in contrast to Ni-Cu configurations on (100) facets. This well-defined surface architecture, characterized by expanded Ni-Ni distances and electron-deficient Ni sites, leads to a substantial enhancement in acetylene hydrogenation selectivity (from 25.5% to 80.1%), while maintaining or surpassing the intrinsic activity of pure Ni and exhibiting excellent stability over 110 h of testing. These findings establish an interstitial atom-based strategy for tailoring catalytic nanostructures with precise control over surface geometry and electronic structure.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":238,"journal":{"name":"Acta Materialia","volume":"307 ","pages":"Article 121954"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146032934","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-02-02DOI: 10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121979
Minglei Jia , Mengyue Lan , Tiexin Zhu , Zhaoyang Han , Chao Jin , Bing Wang
The polarization field within the heterostructure (HS) significantly affects the photocatalytic properties, especially in the separation and migration of photo-generated charge carriers. Controlling the polarization field can optimize the efficiency, selectivity, and rate of catalytic reactions, making it a key factor in designing efficient photocatalysts. This work systematically investigates the construction of SnP2Se6/GaN HSs with varying GaN layer thicknesses, aiming to modulate their electronic structures and photocatalytic properties. The computational results reveal that all the HSs exhibit a typical Type-II band alignment, which effectively facilitates the separation and transfer of photo-generated charge carriers, thereby significantly enhancing photocatalytic performance. In particular, when the number of GaN layers is even, a notable polarization field is induced across the HSs, resulting in a potential difference between the two sides and a corresponding shift in the band-edge positions. Further detailed investigations into the photocatalytic water splitting reaction kinetics indicate that the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance of the HSs are substantially improved compared to the individual GaN and SnP2Se6 components. Furthermore, by controlling the GaN layer number, the rate and selectivity of the water splitting process can be fine-tuned. This work offers novel insights and presents a promising strategy for the design of multifunctional photocatalytic materials.
{"title":"Tunable photocatalytic properties via layer-controlled polarization in 2D SnP2Se6/GaN heterostructures","authors":"Minglei Jia , Mengyue Lan , Tiexin Zhu , Zhaoyang Han , Chao Jin , Bing Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121979","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121979","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The polarization field within the heterostructure (HS) significantly affects the photocatalytic properties, especially in the separation and migration of photo-generated charge carriers. Controlling the polarization field can optimize the efficiency, selectivity, and rate of catalytic reactions, making it a key factor in designing efficient photocatalysts. This work systematically investigates the construction of SnP<sub>2</sub>Se<sub>6</sub>/GaN HSs with varying GaN layer thicknesses, aiming to modulate their electronic structures and photocatalytic properties. The computational results reveal that all the HSs exhibit a typical Type-II band alignment, which effectively facilitates the separation and transfer of photo-generated charge carriers, thereby significantly enhancing photocatalytic performance. In particular, when the number of GaN layers is even, a notable polarization field is induced across the HSs, resulting in a potential difference between the two sides and a corresponding shift in the band-edge positions. Further detailed investigations into the photocatalytic water splitting reaction kinetics indicate that the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance of the HSs are substantially improved compared to the individual GaN and SnP<sub>2</sub>Se<sub>6</sub> components. Furthermore, by controlling the GaN layer number, the rate and selectivity of the water splitting process can be fine-tuned. This work offers novel insights and presents a promising strategy for the design of multifunctional photocatalytic materials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":238,"journal":{"name":"Acta Materialia","volume":"307 ","pages":"Article 121979"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146110064","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-24DOI: 10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121959
Dmitri V. Alexandrov , Irina E. Koroznikova , Alexandra E. Glebova , Liubov V. Toropova
Based on a number of experiments carried out in microgravity and terrestrial conditions, we demonstrate that the shape of ice dendrite tips sufficiently differs from an elliptical paraboloid. To describe the stable growth mode of such crystals, we apply Geometrically Morphological Theory (Acta Mater. 296 (2025), 121232), Boundary Integral Method (Physica A 469 (2017), 420) and Selection Criterion (Phys. Rep. 1085 (2024) 1). This enables us to theoretically obtain the dendrite tip velocity and tip radius in the basal plane during the same experiment as the functions of liquid undercooling. Analyzing all available experimental data on the measurements of and , we determined the integration limit in the heat balance equation and showed that it is close to for the tips of ice crystals grown in undercooled normal and heavy water. We show that our approach corresponds to the solvability theory within the scatter of the experimental data for the selection criterion in the basal plane. In general, the developed approach describes all the experimental data in microgravity and on the ground known to us on the growth of ice crystals, where simultaneous measurements of and were performed.
{"title":"Ice crystals under terrestrial and microgravity conditions: Experiments versus theory for tip velocity and tip radius","authors":"Dmitri V. Alexandrov , Irina E. Koroznikova , Alexandra E. Glebova , Liubov V. Toropova","doi":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121959","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actamat.2026.121959","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Based on a number of experiments carried out in microgravity and terrestrial conditions, we demonstrate that the shape of ice dendrite tips sufficiently differs from an elliptical paraboloid. To describe the stable growth mode of such crystals, we apply Geometrically Morphological Theory (Acta Mater. 296 (2025), 121232), Boundary Integral Method (Physica A 469 (2017), 420) and Selection Criterion (Phys. Rep. 1085 (2024) 1). This enables us to theoretically obtain the dendrite tip velocity <span><math><mi>V</mi></math></span> and tip radius <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>1</mn></mrow></msub></math></span> in the basal plane during the same experiment as the functions of liquid undercooling. Analyzing all available experimental data on the measurements of <span><math><mi>V</mi></math></span> and <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>1</mn></mrow></msub></math></span>, we determined the integration limit in the heat balance equation and showed that it is close to <span><math><mrow><mn>0</mn><mo>.</mo><mn>2</mn><msub><mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>1</mn></mrow></msub></mrow></math></span> for the tips of ice crystals grown in undercooled normal and heavy water. We show that our approach corresponds to the solvability theory within the scatter of the experimental data for the selection criterion in the basal plane. In general, the developed approach describes all the experimental data in microgravity and on the ground known to us on the growth of ice crystals, where simultaneous measurements of <span><math><mi>V</mi></math></span> and <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>1</mn></mrow></msub></math></span> were performed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":238,"journal":{"name":"Acta Materialia","volume":"307 ","pages":"Article 121959"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146034127","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}