An investigation of the microstructural effects on the mechanical and electrochemical properties of a friction stir processed equiatomic CrMnFeCoNi high entropy alloy

The electrochemical properties of a friction stir processed(FSPed)equiatomic CrMnFeCoNi high-entropy alloy(HEA)was investigated in an aerated 0.5 M Na_(2)SO_(4) electrolyte solution at room temperature.The microstructural analysis reveals a highly refined stir zone(SZ)with an average grain size that decreases from the top region of the SZ to the bottom region of the SZ(also known as shear-processed zone;SPZ).However,the region below the SPZ,(i.e.below the plunge depth)experienced an increase in average grain size and dislocation densities compared to the other regions.There is no secondary phase observed in the FSPed region,however,the microstructural evolution in the FSPed region affects the electrochemical behavior of the HEA.Cr_(2)O_(3) passive layer was observed to form on the FSPed HEA,leading to excellent corrosion properties from the polarization corrosion tests.Grain refinement in the SZ enhances the rapid formation of the passive layer,thus,leading to better corrosion properties in the front surface of the FSPed HEA.The localized corrosion behavior of the FSPed HEA was predicted to be caused by the micro-galvanic nature of the HEA,which leads to an increase in polarization at the anodic sites(pits).A numerical model was established using the corrosion parameters from the experiment to simulate the localized corrosion behavior on the surface of the FSPed HEA in a neutral environment.The predicted initial pitting potential and corresponding current density agree well with the experimental results.The model is also capable of tracking the dissolution of the pits over longer periods.

Growth of single crystals in the (Na_(1/2)Bi_(1/2))TiO_(3)-(Sr_(1-x)Ca_(x))TiO_(3) system by solid state crystal growth

Ceramics based on(Na_(1/2)B_(1/2))TiO_(3) are promising candidates for actuator applications because of large strains generated by an electric field-induced phase transition.For example,the(1-x)(Na_(1/2)Bi_(1/2))TiO_(3)-xSrTiO_(3) system exhibits a morphotropic phase boundary at x=0.2-0.3,leading to high values of inverse piezoelectric constant d_(33),which can be further improved by the use of single crystals.In our previous work,single crystals of (Na_(1/2)B_(1/2))TiO_(3)-SrTiO_(3) and (Na_(1/2)Bi_(1/2))TiO_(3)-TiO_(3) were grown by the solid state crystal growth technique.Growth in the(Nai/2Bi/2)TiO3-SrTiO3 system was sluggish whereas the (Na_(1/2)B_(1/2))TiO_(3)-CaTiO_(3) single crystals grew well.In the present work,0.8(Na_(1/2)Bi_(1/2))Ti0_(3)-0.2(Sr_(1-x)Ca_(x))Ti0_(3) single crystals(with x=0.0,0.1,0.2,0.3,0.4)were produced by the solid state crystal growth technique in an attempt to improve crystal growth rate.The dependence of mean matrix grain size,single crystal growth distance,and electrical properties on the Ca concentration was investigated in detail.These investigations indicated that at x=0.3 the matrix grain growth was suppressed and the driving force for single crystal growth was enhanced.Replacing Sr with Ca increased the shoulder temperature T_(s) and temperature of maximum relative permittivity T_(max),causing a decrease in inverse piezoelectric properties and a change from normal to incipient ferroelectric behavior.