Microstructure and properties of Cu-Ni-Si-Zr alloy after thermomechanical treatments

The effect of thermomechanical treatments on the microstructures and properties of Cu-2.1Ni-0.5Si- 0.2Zr alloy was investigated. The hot-rolled plates were solution treated at 920 ℃ for 1.5 h, quenched into water, cold rolled by 70 % reduction in thickness, and then aged at 400, 450 and 500 ℃for various times. The variation in tensile strength and electrical conductivity of the alloy was measured as a function of the aging time. The results show the peak strength value of 665 MPa for the alloy aged at 450 ℃ for 2 h. However, the electrical conductivity is observed to reach a maximum of 47 % IACS aged at 450℃for 8 h. OM, SEM, and TEM were used for microstructural inspection of the alloy. Precipitation occurs preferentially at deformation bands in the cold-rolled alloy. Properties behavior is discussed in the light of microstructural features.

Precipitation process and its effects on properties of aging Cu–Ni–Be alloy

The precipitation process of aged Cu-Ni-Be alloy was investigated by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, trans- mission electron microscopy （TEM）, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy （HRTEM）. The tensile strength, yield strength, and electronic conductivity of this alloy after aging were also studied. The precipitation sequence of the C17510 alloy aged at 525 ℃ is supersat-urated solid solution→G.P zones→ γ″-γ′→ γ. This transformation can be achieved by the accumulation of Be-atom layers. The G.P zones are composed of disk-shaped monolayers of Be atoms, which are formed on （001） matrix planes. The intermediate γ″ precipitate is nucleated in the G.P zones. The γ″ and γ′ precipitates have the same orientation relationship with matrix, e.g., （110）p｜｜（100）M,[001]p｜｜[001]M. The tensile strength of specimen shows a maximum during the aging process and then continuously decreases if the specimen is over aged. The strengthening effect of γ′ phase precipitated in aging at 525 ℃ for 4 h is calculated to be 436 MPa according to the Orowan strengthening, which is quite consistent with the experimental data.

Kinetics of discontinuous precipitation in Cu–20Ni–20Mn alloy

The morphology and growth kinetics of discontinuous precipitation （DP） in a Cu-20Ni-20Mn alloy were investigated in the tem- perature range of523-573 K by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. A lamellar mixed structure consisting of alternating larnellae of a matrix and NiMn phase was observed in DP colonies. The volume fraction of regions formed by a DP reaction was determined by quantitative metallographic measurements. The kinetics of DP was evaluated on the basis of the John- son-MehI-Avrami Kohnogorov equation, which resulted in a time exponent of approximately 1.5. We confirmed that the nucleation of the discontinuous precipitate was confined to grain edges or boundaries at an early stage of the reaction. The activation energy of DP process was determined to be approximately （72.7 ± 7.2） kJ/mol based on the Arrhenius equation; this result suggests that DP is controlled by gn-ain boundary diffusion. The hardness values exhibited good correlation with the volume fraction of DP; this correlation was attributed to the plvsence of the ordered N iMn phase.

Development of genipin crosslinked gelatin matrices on surface interaction: Enhancing the biocompatibility by attenuating sterile inflammation

The inflammation can be stimulated by the surgical implantation and biomaterial presence through the foreign body via bio-interface.Macrophages play a key role in the interaction of host tissue to implant surfaces.In present study,the immuno-inflammatory responses of genipin crosslinked gelatin matrices(GCGM)to macrophages in vitro and the host tissue surfaces in rats were investigated.The results showed that the mechanical properties,swelling and degradation of gelatin matrices were improved by the crosslinking of genipin at physiological conditions.The macrophage on the surface of GCGM could avoid to be activated.The interaction of macrophage and GCGM suggested that GCGM could reduce the inflammatory response with downregulating the production and m RNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines.The anti-inflammatory effect of GCGM was demonstrated to be related to inhibit nuclear factor kappa-B(NF-κB)signaling pathway.Furthermore,gelatin matrices crosslinked with genipin could decrease the acute and chronic inflammatory response interacting with host tissue surfaces to enhance the biocompatibility in rats.These results showed that GCGM could avoid to active macrophages and were endowed with anti-inflammatory properties,suggesting the significant potential for clinical success with the development of immunomodulatory biomaterials.