Alloy design for laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing:a critical review

Metal additive manufacturing(AM)has been extensively studied in recent decades.Despite the significant progress achieved in manufacturing complex shapes and structures,challenges such as severe cracking when using existing alloys for laser powder bed fusion(L-PBF)AM have persisted.These challenges arise because commercial alloys are primarily designed for conventional casting or forging processes,overlooking the fast cooling rates,steep temperature gradients and multiple thermal cycles of L-PBF.To address this,there is an urgent need to develop novel alloys specifically tailored for L-PBF technologies.This review provides a comprehensive summary of the strategies employed in alloy design for L-PBF.It aims to guide future research on designing novel alloys dedicated to L-PBF instead of adapting existing alloys.The review begins by discussing the features of the L-PBF processes,focusing on rapid solidification and intrinsic heat treatment.Next,the printability of the four main existing alloys(Fe-,Ni-,Al-and Ti-based alloys)is critically assessed,with a comparison of their conventional weldability.It was found that the weldability criteria are not always applicable in estimating printability.Furthermore,the review presents recent advances in alloy development and associated strategies,categorizing them into crack mitigation-oriented,microstructure manipulation-oriented and machine learning-assisted approaches.Lastly,an outlook and suggestions are given to highlight the issues that need to be addressed in future work.

Ionic liquid derived electrocatalysts for electrochemical water splitting

Hydrogen production from electrochemical water splitting is a promising strategy to generate green energy,which requires the development of efficient and stable electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction and the oxygen evolution reaction(HER and OER).Ionic liquids(ILs)or poly(ionic liquids)(PILs),containing heteroatoms,metal-based anions,and various structures,have been frequently involved as precursors to prepare electrocatalysts for water splitting.Moreover,ILs/PILs possess high conductivity,wide electrochemical windows,and high thermal and chemical stability,which can be directly applied in the electrocatalysis process with high durability.In this review,we focus on the studies of ILs/PILs-derived electrocatalysts for HER and OER,where ILs/PILs are applied as heteroatom dopants and metal precursors to prepare catalysts or are directly utilized as the electrocatalysts.Due to those attractive properties,IL/PIL-derived electrocatalysts exhibit excellent performance for electrochemical water splitting.All these accomplishments and developments are systematically summarized and thoughtfully discussed.Then,the overall perspectives for the current challenges and future developments of ILs/PILs-derived electrocatalysts are provided.

Design of low-alloying and high-performance solid solution-strengthened copper alloys with element substitution for sustainable development

Solid solution-strengthened copper alloys have the advantages of a simple composition and manufacturing process,high mechanical and electrical comprehensive performances,and low cost;thus,they are widely used in high-speed rail contact wires,electronic component connectors,and other devices.Overcoming the contradiction between low alloying and high performance is an important challenge in the development of solid solution-strengthened copper alloys.Taking the typical solid solution-strengthened alloy Cu-4Zn-1Sn as the research object,we proposed using the element In to replace Zn and Sn to achieve low alloying in this work.Two new alloys,Cu-1.5Zn-1Sn-0.4In and Cu-1.5Zn-0.9Sn-0.6In,were designed and prepared.The total weight percentage content of alloying elements decreased by 43%and 41%,respectively,while the product of ultimate tensile strength(UTS)and electrical conductivity(EC)of the annealed state increased by 14%and 15%.After cold rolling with a 90%reduction,the UTS of the two new alloys reached 576 and 627MPa,respectively,the EC was 44.9%IACS and 42.0%IACS,and the product of UTS and EC(UTS×EC)was 97%and 99%higher than that of the annealed state alloy.The dislocations proliferated greatly in cold-rolled alloys,and the strengthening effects of dislocations reached 332 and 356 MPa,respectively,which is the main reason for the considerable improvement in mechanical properties.

Photoelectrochemical seawater oxidation with metal oxide materials:Challenges and opportunities

Photocatalytic water oxidation is a crucial counter-electrode reaction in the process of photoelectrochemical energy conversion.Despite its importance,challenges remain in effectively and sustainably converting water to oxygen,particularly with readily available and inexpensive electrolyte solutions such as seawater.While metal oxide materials have demonstrated their advantages in promoting efficiency by reducing overpotential and improving light utilization,stability remains limited by corrosion in multicomponent seawater.In this paper,we reviewed the relationship between four basic concepts including photoelectrochemistry,metal oxide,water oxidation and seawater to better understand the challenges and opportunities in photoelectrochemical(PEC)seawater oxidation.To overcome these challenges,the advances in material design,interfacial modification,local environment control and reactor design have been further reviewed to benefit the industrial PEC seawater oxidation.Noticeably,we demonstrate engineered layered metal oxide electrodes and cell structures that enable powerful and stable seawater oxidation.We also outline and advise on the future direction in this area.

MOF synthesis using waste PET for applications of adsorption, catalysis and energy storage

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as one of non-degradable wastes has become a huge threat to the environment and human health.Chemical Recycle of PET is a sustainable way to release 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid (BDC) the monomer of PET as common used organiclinker for synthesis of functional Metal–organic-frameworks (PET-derived MOFs) such as UiO-66, MIL-101, etc. This sustainable and costeffective“Waste-to-MOFs” model is of great significant to be intensively investigated in the past years. Attributes of substantial porosity, specificsurface area, exposed metal centers, uniform structure, and flexible morphology render PET-derived MOFs are well-suited for applications inadsorption, energy storage, catalysis, among others. Herein, in the present work, we have summarized recent advances in synthesis of PETderived MOFs using ex-situ and in-situ methods for typical applications of adsorption, catalysis and energy storage. Despite those improvementsin synthesis methods and potential applications, challenges still remain in development of green and economical routes to fully utilize waste PETfor massive manufacture of valuable MOF materials and chemicals. This review provides insights into the conversion of non-degradable PETwaste to value-added MOF materials, and further suggests promising perspectives to develop the sustainable “Waste-to-MOFs” model inaddressing environmental pollution and energy crises.

Insight into demand-driven preparation of single-atomic mediators for lithium–sulfur batteries

Lithium-sulfur(Li-S) batteries have attracted considerable attention as one of the most appealing energy storage systems.Strenuous efforts have been devoted to tackling the tremendous challenges,mainly pertaining to the severe shuttle effect,sluggish redox kinetics and lithium dendritic growth.Single-atomic mediators as promising candidates exhibit impressive performance in addressing these intractable issues.Related research often utilizes a trial-and-error approach,proposing solutions to fabricate single-atomic materials with diversified features.However,comprehensive review articles especially targeting demand-driven preparation are still in a nascent stage.Inspired by these considerations,this review summarizes the design of single-atomic mediators based on the application case-studies in LiS batteries and other metal-sulfur systems.Emerging preparation routes represented by chemical vapor deposition technology are introduced in a demand-oriented classification.Finally,future research directions are proposed to foster the advancement of single-atomic mediators in Li-S realm.

Interfacial modification using the cross-linkable tannic acid for highly-efficient perovskite solar cells with excellent stability

Although the performance of perovskite solar cells(PSCs)has been dramatically increased in recent years,stability is still the main obstacle preventing the PSCs from being commercial.PSC device instability can be caused by a variety of reasons,including ions diffusion,surface and grain boundary defects,etc.In this work,the cross-linkable tannic acid(TA)is introduced to modify perovskite film through post-treatment method.The numerous organic functional groups(–OH and C=O)in TA can interact with the uncoordinated Pb^(2+)and I^(-)ions in perovskite,thus passivating defects and inhibiting ions diffusion.In addition,the formed TA network can absorb a small amount of the residual moisture inside the device to protect the perovskite layer.Furthermore,TA modification regulates the energy level of perovskite,and reduces interfacial charge recombination.Ultimately,following TA treatment,the device efficiency is increased significantly from 21.31%to 23.11%,with a decreased hysteresis effect.Notably,the treated device shows excellent air,thermal,and operational stability.In light of this,the readily available,inexpensive TA has the potential to operate as a multipurpose interfacial modifier to increase device efficiency while also enhancing device stability.

Upcycling municipal solid waste to sustainable hydrogen via two-stage gasification-reforming

As global municipal solid waste(MSW)quantities continue to escalate,serious socio-environmental challenges arise,necessitating innovative solutions.Waste-to-hydrogen(WTH)via two-stage gasification-reforming(TSGR)presents an emergent technology for MSW upcycling,offering to ease waste management burdens and bolster the burgeoning hydrogen economy.Despite early initiatives to advance TSGR technology,a cohesive and critical analysis of cutting-edge knowledge and strategies to enhance hydrogen production remains lacking.This review aggregates literature on MSW upcycling to hydrogen via TSGR,with a focus on optimizing process control and catalytic efficiency.It underscores technological avenues to augment hydrogen output,curtail catalyst costs,and refine system performance.Particularly,the review illuminates the potential for integrating chemical and calcium looping into TSGR processes,identifying opportunities,and pinpointing challenges.The review concludes with a summary of the current state of techno-economic analysis for this technology,presenting outstanding challenges and future research directions,with the ultimate goal of transitioning WTH from theoretical to practical application.

Design and tailoring of patterned ZnO nanostructures for perovskite light absorption modulation

Lithography is a pivotal micro/nanomanufacturing technique,facilitating performance enhancements in an extensive array of devices,encompassing sensors,transistors,and photovoltaic devices.The key to creating highly precise,multiscale-distributed patterned structures is the precise control of the lithography process.Herein,high-quality patterned ZnO nanostructures are constructed by systematically tuning the exposure and development times during lithography.By optimizing these parameters,ZnO nanorod arrays with line/hole arrangements are successfully prepared.Patterned ZnO nanostructures with highly controllable morphology and structure possess discrete three-dimensional space structure,enlarged surface area,and improved light capture ability,which achieve highly efficient energy conversion in perovskite solar cells.The lithography process management for these patterned ZnO nanostructures provides important guidance for the design and construction of complex nanostructures and devices with excellent performance.

Ultra‑Efficient and Cost‑Effective Platinum Nanomembrane Electrocatalyst for Sustainable Hydrogen Production

Hydrogen production through hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)offers a promising solution to combat climate change by replacing fossil fuels with clean energy sources.However,the widespread adoption of efficient electrocatalysts,such as platinum(Pt),has been hindered by their high cost.In this study,we developed an easy-to-implement method to create ultrathin Pt nanomembranes,which catalyze HER at a cost significantly lower than commercial Pt/C and comparable to non-noble metal electrocatalysts.These Pt nanomembranes consist of highly distorted Pt nanocrystals and exhibit a heterogeneous elastic strain field,a characteristic rarely seen in conventional crystals.This unique feature results in significantly higher electrocatalytic efficiency than various forms of Pt electrocatalysts,including Pt/C,Pt foils,and numerous Pt singleatom or single-cluster catalysts.Our research offers a promising approach to develop highly efficient and cost-effective low-dimensional electrocatalysts for sustainable hydrogen production,potentially addressing the challenges posed by the climate crisis.

Review of production status of heavysteel castings and key technologies for their manufacture in China

This paper expatiates on domestic status of heavy steel casting production, with a special focus on hydraulicturbine castings for Three Gorges Project. In China, there is magnificent demand for heavy castings with the rapidgrowth of the national economy in recent years and the expected high growth in the coming 10 to 20 years. Someheavy and large castings such as mill housing and hydraulic turbine runner crown, blade and band for Three GorgesProject have been successfully made. However, the domestic production capability is still far from meeting the giganticrequirements. The domestic capability still lags behind the world class level, and a lot of heavy castings still dependon import. The paper also gives a particular introduction of the key technologies in the manufacturing of heavy steelcastings like metal melting, foundry technology, heat treatment technology and numerical simulation technique, etc.In addition, several case studies on the application of numerical simulation in the production of heavy steel castingsare presented.

Mechanics of advanced fiber reinforced lattice composites

Fiber reinforced lattice composites are lightweight attractive due to their high specific strength and specific stiffness.In the past 10 years,researchers developed three-dimensional（3D） lattice trusses and two-dimensional （2D） lattice grids by various methods including interlacing, weaving,interlocking,filament winding and molding hot- press.The lattice composites have been applied in the fields of radar cross-section reduction,explosive absorption and heat-resistance. In this paper,topologies of the lattice composites, their manufacturing routes,as well as their mechanical and multifunctional applications,were surveyed.

In vitro bio-corrosion behaviors of biodegradable AZ31B magnesium alloy under static stresses of different forms and magnitudes

Biomedical degradable materials would be subjected to different degrees and forms of static stress after being implanted in the human body.In this work,the biocorrosion behaviors of AZ31B magnesium alloy under different stress forms with different magnitudes(20~150MPa)were studied.It was found that the corrosion behaviors at stressed conditions were severer than those at unstressed conditions and corrosion rates were obviously accelerated.The biocorrosion behaviors are more sensitive to the effects of tensile loads than to compressive loads.A biocorrosion numerical model on the degradation process of Mg alloy under static loads was established.The corrosion current density(i_(corr))of Mg alloy and the applied static stress(σ)matches a linear relationship of ln i_(corr)~σwell during the early stage(within 24 hrs)while deviated gradually in the latter period of corrosion.This work could provide a guidance and theoretical reference for further researches on the biocorrosion behaviors and practical clinical applications of the biomedical materials subjected to physiological loads.

Sulfur/nitrogen/oxygen tri-doped carbon nanospheres as an anode for potassium ion storage

Carbonaceous materials are considered as ideal anode for potassium ion batteries(PIBs)due to their abundant resources and stable physical and chemical properties.However,improvements of reversible capacity and cycle performance are still needed,aiming to the practical application.Herein,S/N/O tridoped carbon(SNOC)nanospheres are prepared by in-situ vulcanized polybenzoxazine.The S/N/O tridoped carbon matrix provides abundant active sites for potassium ion adsorption and effectively improves potassium storage capacity.Moreover,the SNOC nanospheres possess large carbon interlayer spacing and high specific surface area,which broaden the diffusion pathway of potassium ions and accelerate the electron transfer speed,resulting in excellent rate performance.As an anode for PIBs,SNOC shows attractive rate performance(438.5 mA h g^(-1) at 50 mA g^(-1) and 174.5 mA h g^(-1) at2000 mA g^(-1)),ultra-high reversible capacity(397.4 mA h g^(-1) at 100 mA g^(-1) after 700 cycles)and ultra-long cycling life(218.9 mA h g^(-1) at 2000 mA g^(-1) after 7300 cycles,123.1 mA h g^(-1) at3000 mA g^(-1) after 16500 cycles and full cell runs for 4000 cycles).Density functional theory calculation confirms that S/N/O tri-doping enhances the adsorption and diffusion of potassium ions,and in-situ Fourier-transform infrared explores explored the potassium storage mechanism of SNOC.

Review of solution growth techniques for 4H-SiC single crystal

Silicon carbide(SiC),a group IV compound and wide-bandgap semiconductor for high-power,high-frequency and high-temperature devices,demonstrates excellent inherent properties for power devices and specialized high-end markets.Solution growth is thermodynamically favorable for producing SiC single crystal ingots with ultra-low dislocation density as the crystallization is driven by the supersaturation of carbon dissolved in Si-metal solvents.Meanwhile,solution growth is conducive to the growth of both N-and P-type SiC,with doping concentrations ranging from 10^(14)to 10^(19)cm^(-3).To date,4-inch 4H-SiC substrates with a thickness of 15 mm produced by solution growth have been unveiled,while substrates of 6 inches and above are still under development.Based on top-seeded solution growth(TSSG),several growth techniques have been developed including solution growth on a concave surface(SGCS),melt-back,accelerated crucible rotation technique(ACRT),two-step growth,and facet growth.Multi-parameters of the solution growth including meniscus,solvent design,flow control,dislocation conversion,facet growth,and structures of graphite components make high-quality single crystal growth possible.In this paper,the solution growth techniques and corresponding parameters involved in SiC bulk growth were reviewed.

Co@CoO:An efficient catalyst for the depolymerization and upgrading of lignocellulose to alkylcyclohexanols with cellulose intact

The depolymerization and upgrading of lignin from raw biomass,while keeping cellulose intact is important in biorefinery and various metal-based catalysts have been used in reductive catalytic fractionation,a key method in"lignin-first"strategy,Recently,we found that a core-shell structured Co@CoO catalyst with CoO shell as the real active site had excellent performance in the hydrogenolysis of 5-hydromethylfurfural to 2,5-dimethylfuran due to its unique ability to dissociate H_(2)and yield active H^(δ-)species(Xiang et al.,2022).In this work,we report a one-pot depolymerization and upgrading of lignocellulose to alkylcyclohexanols,a flavour precursor,with intact cellulose over this unique core-shell structured catalyst,Co@CoO.Lignin model compounds(β-O-4,4-O-5,α-O-4)were first used to clarify the activity of Co@CoO catalyst.Then,the one-pot conversion of various organosolv lignin(birch,pine and poplar)to alkylcyclohexanols was realized with the mass yield of alkylcyclohexanols up to25.8 wt%from birch lignin under the reaction condition of 210℃,1 MPa H_(2),16 h.Finally,the corresponding woody sawdusts were used as feedstocks and found that the Co@CoO catalyst indeed preferentially depolymerized and upgraded the lignin part and obtained the same alkylcyclohexanols products with the retention of cellulose-rich pulp.The collected alkylcyclohexanols were further esterified to obtain valueadded esters,which can be used as flavors.This work will inspire the design of new efficient metal oxide catalysts in lignin fractionation and depolymerization to high-value-added chemicals with intact cellulose.

Dynamic behavior of tunneling triboelectric charges in two-dimensional materials

Although the research history of triboelectrification has been more than 2000 years, there are still many problems to be solved so far.The use of scanning probe microscopy provides an important way to quantitatively study the transfer, accumulation, and dissipation of triboelectric charges in the process of triboelectrification. Two-dimensional materials are considered to be key materials for new electronic devices in the post-Moore era due to their atomic-scale size advantages. If the electrostatic field generated by triboelectrification can be used to replace the traditional gate electrostatic field, it is expected to simplify the structure of two-dimensional electronic devices and reconfigure them at any time according to actual needs. Here, we investigate the triboelectrification process of various two-dimensional materials such as MoS_(2), WSe_(2),and ZnO. Different from traditional bulk materials, after two-dimensional materials are rubbed, the triboelectric charges generated may tunnel through the two-dimensional materials to the underlying substrate surface. Because the tunneling triboelectric charge is protected by the twodimensional material, its stable residence time on the substrate surface can reach more than 7 days, which is more than tens of minutes for the traditional triboelectric charge. In addition, the electrostatic field generated by the tunneling triboelectric charge can effectively regulate the carrier transport performance of two-dimensional materials, and the source–drain current of the field effect device regulated by the triboelectric floating gate is increased by nearly 60 times. The triboelectric charge tunneling phenomenon in two-dimensional materials is expected to be applied in the fields of new two-dimensional electronic devices and reconfigurable functional circuits.

On establishment of novel constitutive model for directionally solidified nickel-based superalloys utilizing machine learning methods

To enhance the accuracy of mechanical simulation in the directional solidification process of turbine blades for heavy-duty gas turbines,a new constitutive model that employs machine learning methods was developed.This model incorporates incremental learning and transfer learning,thus improves the predictive accuracy and generalization performance.To account for the anisotropy of the directionally solidified alloy,a deformation direction parameter is added to the model,enabling prediction of the stress-strain relationship of the alloy under different deformation directions.The predictive capabilities of both models are evaluated using correlation coefficient(R),average relative error(δ),and value of relative error(RE).Compared to the traditional model,the machine learning constitutive model achieves higher prediction accuracy and better generalization performance.This offers a new approach for the establishment of flow constitutive models for other directionally solidified and single-crystal superalloys.

Image processing based three-dimensional model reconstruction for cross-platform numerical simulation

Numerical simulation is the most powerful computational and analysis tool for a large variety of engineering and physical problems.For a complex problem relating to multi-field,multi-process and multi-scale,different computing tools have to be developed so as to solve particular fields at different scales and for different processes.Therefore,the integration of different types of software is inevitable.However,it is difficult to perform the transfer of the meshes and simulated results among software packages because of the lack of shared data formats or encrypted data formats.An image processing based method for three-dimensional model reconstruction for numerical simulation was proposed,which presents a solution to the integration problem by a series of slice or projection images obtained by the post-processing modules of the numerical simulation software.By means of mapping image pixels to meshes of either finite difference or finite element models,the geometry contour can be extracted to export the stereolithography model.The values of results,represented by color,can be deduced and assigned to the meshes.All the models with data can be directly or indirectly integrated into other software as a continued or new numerical simulation.The three-dimensional reconstruction method has been validated in numerical simulation of castings and case studies were provided in this study.

Create Rich Oxygen Defects of Unique Tubular Hierarchical Molybdenum Dioxide to Modulate Electron Transfer Rate for Superior High-Energy Metal-Ion Hybrid Capacitor

Metal-ion capacitors could merit advantages from both batteries and capacitors,but they need to overcome the severe restrictions from their sluggish reaction kinetics of the battery type electrode and low specific capacitance of capacitor type electrode for both high energy and power density.Herein,we use the Kirkendall effect for the first time to synthesize unique tubular hierarchical molybdenum dioxide with encapsulated nitrogen-doped carbon sheets while in situ realizing phosphorus-doping to create rich oxygen vacancies(P-MoO_(2-x)@NP-C)as a sodium-ion electrode.Experimental and theoretical analysis confirm that the P-doping introduced oxygen defects can partially convert the high-bond-energy Mo–O to low-bond-energy Mo–P,resulting in a low oxidation state of molybdenum for enhanced surface reactivity and rapid reaction kinetics.The as-prepared P-MoO_(2-x)@NP-C as an ion-battery electrode is further used to pair active N-doped carbon nanosheet(N-C-A)electrode for Na-ion hybrid capacitor,delivering excellent performance with an energy density of 140.3 Wh kg^(−1),a power density of 188.5 W kg^(−1)and long stable life in non-aqueous solution,which ranks the best among all reported MoO x-based hybrid capacitors.P-MoO_(2-x)@NP-C is also used to fabricate a zinc-ion hybrid capacitor,also accomplishing a remarkable energy density of 43.8 Wh kg^(−1),a power density of 93.9 W kg^(−1),and a long stable life@2A g^(−1)of 32000 cycles in aqueous solutions,solidly verifying its universal significance.This work not only demonstrates an innovative approach to synthesize high-performance metal ion hybrid capacitor materials but also reveals certain scientific insights into electron transfer enhancement mechanisms.