Development of a high-strength Mg alloy with superior ductility through a unique texture modification from equal channel angular pressing

In the current study,a homogenous ultra-fine grained microstructure with average grain size of 1.0μm is achieved in the Mg-Zn-Ca-Mn alloy through the reduplicative equal channel angular pressing(ECAP)at 300℃,and the mechanical properties are remarkably improved,with room-temperature yield strength of 269.6 MPa and elongation of 22.7%.The twinning deformation results in a discontinuous recrystallization behavior in the initial stage of ECAP.With further deformation,the continuously dynamic recrystallization contributes to an obvious grain refinement effect.The activation of non-basal slip system leads to the formation of a unique basal texture,which is related to the elevated ECAP temperature and the decreased grain size.Both grain refinement and texture modification derived from ECAP process result in the increase of yield strength,while the cracked secondary phase particles are beneficial to the enhanced ductility,through reducing the stress concentration and hindering premature failure.

A comparison study of Ce/La and Ca microalloying on the bio-corrosion behaviors of extruded Mg-Zn alloys

The influences of Ca and Ce/La microalloying on the microstructure evolution and bio-corrosion resistances of extruded Mg-Zn alloys have been systematically investigated in the current study.Compared with single Ca or Ce/La addition,the Ca-Ce/La cooperative microalloying results in an outstanding grain refinement,because the fine secondary phase particles effectively hinder the recrystallized grain growth.The coarse Ca2Mg6Zn3 phases promote the formation of Ca3(PO4)2 or hydroxyapatite particles during the immersion process and accelerate the dissolution of the corrosion product film,which destroys its integrity and results in the deterioration of anti-corrosive performance.The Ce/La elements can be dispersed within the conventional Mg7Zn3 phases,which reduce the internal galvanic corrosion between Mg matrix and the secondary phases,leading to an obvious improvement of corrosion resistance.Therefore,the Ca-Ce/La cooperative microalloying achieves a homogenous fine-grained microstructure and improves the protective ability of surface film,which will pave a new avenue for the design of biomedical Mg alloys in the coming future.

Enhanced helium ion irradiation tolerance in a Fe-Co-Ni-Cr-Al-Ti high-entropy alloy with L12 nanoparticles

L12-strengthened high entropy alloys(HEAs)with excellent room and high-temperature mechanical prop-erties have been proposed as promising candidates as structural materials for advanced nuclear systems.However,knowledge about their radiation response is fairly limited.In the present work,a novel HEA with a high density of L12 nanoparticles was irradiated with He ion at 500°C.Transmission electron microscope(TEM)and atom probe tomography(APT)were employed to study the evolution of mi-crostructural stability and radiation-induced segregation.Similar to the single-phase FeCoNiCr HEA,the main microstructural features were numerous large faulted dislocation loops and helium bubbles.While the irradiation resistance of the present L12-strengthened HEA is much improved in terms of reduced bubble size,which could be attributed to the considerable He trapping efficiency of the coherent pre-cipitate/matrix interface and the enhanced capability of the interface for damage elimination when the matrix channel width is narrow.APT analysis revealed that an inverse-Kirkendall-mechanism-dominated radiation-induced segregation(RIS)occurs around bubbles,where a significant Co enrichment and Ni de-pletion can be clearly observed.In addition,the competing dynamics of ballistic mixing and elemental clustering that raised from the irradiation-enhanced diffusion in a highly supersaturated matrix,along with the low precipitation nucleation barrier due to the small lattice misfit,lead to a dynamical pre-cipitation dissolution and re-precipitation appears under irradiation.Such a promising phenomenon is expected to promote a potential self-healing effect and could in turn provide a sustainable irradiation tolerance over the operational lifetime of a reactor.

He-enhanced heterogeneity of radiation-induced segregation in FeNiCoCr high-entropy alloy

Radiation-induced segregation(RIS) is a typical non-equilibrium process that can dramatically alter the behavior of defect sinks and material properties under irradiation. However, RIS mechanisms have been rarely studied around small He bubbles owing to the technical challenges involved in direct measurements of local chemistry. Here, using state-of-the-art atom probe tomography, we report the RIS behavior near He bubbles in the Fe Ni Co Cr high-entropy alloy that indicates Co segregates most strongly, followed by weaker Ni segregation, whereas Fe and Cr are depleted almost to the same degree. Exceptionally, the magnitude of Co segregation around He bubbles is higher than previously measured values at voids and dislocation loops. Electron energy-loss spectroscopy was used to measure the He density and pressure inside individual bubbles. We demonstrate that He bubbles are over-pressurized at the irradiation temperature that could result in the vacancy bias and the subsequent vacancy-dominated RIS mechanism.First-principles calculations further reveal that there are repulsive interactions between He and Co atoms that may reduce the frequency of Co-vacancy exchange. As a result, He atoms likely retard Co diffusion via the vacancy mechanism and enhance the heterogeneity of RIS in Co-containing multicomponent alloys. These insights could provide the basis for understanding He effects in nuclear materials and open an avenue for tailoring the local chemical order of medium-and high-entropy alloys.