Experimental determination of grain density function of AZ91/SiC composite with different mass fractions of SiC and undercoolings using heterogeneous nucleation model

The grain density,Nv,in the solid state after solidification of AZ91/SiC composite is a function of maximum undercooling,ΔT,of a liquid alloy.This type of function depends on the characteristics of heterogeneous nucleation sites and number of SiC present in the alloy.The aim of this paper was selection of parameters for the model describing the relationship between the grain density of primary phase and undercooling.This model in connection with model of crystallisation,which is based on chemical elements diffusion and grain interface kinetics,can be used to predict casting quality and its microstructure.Nucleation models have parameters,which exact values are usually not known and sometimes even their physical meaning is under discussion.Those parameters can be obtained after mathematical analysis of the experimental data.The composites with 0,1,2,3 and 4wt.% of SiC particles were prepared.The AZ91 alloy was a matrix of the composite reinforcement SiC particles.This composite was cast to prepare four different thickness plates.They were taken from the region near to the thermocouple,to analyze the undercooling for different composites and thickness plates and its influence on the grain size.The microstructure and thermal analysis gave set of values that connect mass fraction of SiC particles,and undercooling with grain size.These values were used to approximate nucleation model adjustment parameters.Obtained model can be very useful in modelling composites microstructure.

Simultaneous refinement of α-Mg grains and β-Mg_(17)Al_(12) in Mg-Al based alloys via heterogeneous nucleation on Al_(8)Mn_(4)Sm

Due to the significant differences in the formation temperature and crystal structure between the primaryα-Mg and eutecticβ-Mg_(17)Al_(12),it is a great challenge to achieve simultaneous refinement of the primary and eutectic phases in Mg-Al based alloys via heterogeneous nucleation.Surprisingly,we found that theα-Mg andβ-Mg_(17)Al_(12) in the AZ80 alloy can be simultaneously refined after 0.2 wt.%Sm addition,with the grain size decreasing from∼217±15μm to∼170±10μm and theβ-Mg_(17)Al_(12) morphology changing from a typical continuous network to a nod-like or spherical structure.The simultaneous refinement mechanism is investigated through solidification simulation,transmission electron microscopy(TEM),and differential thermal analysis(DTA).In the AZ80-0.2Sm alloy,many Al8Mn4Sm particles can be observed near the center of theα-Mg grains or inside theβ-Mg_(17)Al_(12).Crystallographic calculations further reveal that the Al8Mn4Sm has good crystallographic matching with both theα-Mg andβ-Mg_(17)Al_(12),so it possesses the potency to serve as heterogeneous nucleation sites for both phases.The promoted heterogeneous nucleation on the Al8Mn4Sm decreases the undercooling required by the nucleation of the primary and eutectic phases,which enhances the heterogeneous nucleation rate,thus causing the simultaneous refinement of theα-Mg andβ-Mg_(17)Al_(12).The orientation relationships between the Al8Mn4Sm and Mg/Mg_(17)Al_(12) are identified,which are[1210]_(Mg)//[010]_(Al8Mn4Sm),(1010)_(Mg)//(301)_(Al8Mn4Sm) and[112]_(Mg_(17)Al_(12))//[010]_(Al8Mn4Sm),(110)_(Mg_(17)Al_(12))//(301)_(Al8Mn4Sm),respectively.Furthermore,the refinement of theβ-Mg_(17)Al_(12) accelerates its dissolution during the solution treatment,which is beneficial for cost saving in industrial applications.Other Al8Mn4RE compounds such as Al8Mn4Y might have the same positive effect on the simultaneous refinement due to the similar physicochemical properties of rare earth elements.This work not only proves the possibility of simultaneously refining the primary and eutectic phases in Mg-Al based alloys via heterogeneous nucleation,but also provides new insights into the development of refiners for cast Mg alloys.

Effect of substrate micro-morphology on heterogeneous nucleation

The heterogeneous nucleation process of NH4Cl crystals from a NH4Cl-70wt.%H2O solution on rough chilling substrates was considered in this paper. Scratched and etched substrates of aluminum were prepared with different surface morphologies. It was concluded that for nucleation to occur on a rough substrate surface, the wettability or the generally said roughness are not the key factors affecting the heterogeneous nucleation process. Rather the surface morphologies on the nanometer scale, which is close to the scale of the critical nucleation radius, are more important.

Graphite Surface Modification by Heterogeneous Nucleation Process

Flaky graphite particles were coated by ZrOCl2 · 8H2O as precursors by heterogeneous nucleation process. The effects of factors such as pH values （ 2. 4 - 5. 1 ）, concentration of the precursor solution （ 0. 005 - 0. 1 mol · L^-1） , mixing method of graphite and precursor solution on the surface modification of graphite were studied. Result shows that ：1 ） the preferable technical process for heterogeneous nucleation modified graphite is to mix the graphite suspension and precursor solution with concentration 0. 025 mol ·L^-1 and then drip ammonia water to adjust the pH value to 3.6 ; 2 ） By surface modification, the ZrO2 particles are evenly coated on graphite surface and therefore improve oxidation resistance and dispersion ability of graphite.

Unlock the full potential of carbon cloth-based scaffolds towards magnesium metal storage via regulation on magnesiophilicity and surface geometric structure

The development of rechargeable magnesium(Mg) batteries is of practical significance to upgrade the electric energy storage devices due to exceptional capacity and abundant resources of Mg-metal anode.However,the reversible Mg electrochemistry suffers from unsatisfied rate capability and lifespan,mainly caused by non-uniform distribution of electrodeposits.In this work,a fresh design concept of threedimensional carbon cloths scaffolds is proposed to overcome the uncontrollable Mg growth via homogenizing electric field and improving magnesiophilicity.A microscopic smooth and nitrogen-containing defective carbonaceous layer is constructed through a facile pyrolysis of ZIF8 on carbon cloths.As revealed by finite element simulation and DFT calculation results,the smooth surface endows with uniform electric field distribution and simultaneously the nitrogen-doping species enable good magnesiophilicity of scaffolds.The fine and uniform Mg nucleus as well as the inner electrodeposit behavior are also disclosed.As a result,an exceptional cycle life of 500 cycles at 4.0 mA cm^(-2) and 4.0 mA h cm^(-2) is firstly realized to our best knowledge.Besides,the functional scaffolds can be cycled for over 2200 h at 2.0 mA cm^(-2) under a normalized capacity of 5.0 mA h cm^(-2),far exceeding previous results.This work offers an effective approach to enable the full potential of carbon cloths-based scaffolds towards metal storage for next generation battery applications.

Effects of Sn on microstructure of as-cast and as-extruded Mg-9Li alloys

The effects of Sn addition on the microstructure of as-cast and as-extruded Mg-9Li alloys were investigated. The results show that α-Mg, β-Li, Li2MgSn, and Mg2Sn are primary phases in the microstructures of the as-cast and as-extruded Mg-9Li-xSn （x=0, 5; in mass fraction, %） alloys. Li2MgSn phase evolves from continuously net-like structure in the as-cast state to fine granular in the as-extruded state. After the extrusion, Mg-9Li-5Sn alloy has finer microstructures. Li2MgSn or Mg2Sn compound can act as the heterogeneous nucleation sites for dynamic recrystallization during the extrusion due to the crystallography matching relationship Extrusion deformation leads to dynamic recrystallization, which results in the grain refinement and uniform distribution. The as-extruded Mg-9Li-5Sn alloy possesses the lowest grain size of 45.9 μm.

Relationship of Ca, B, and AlP in Al-12.6Si alloy

P modification has been widely used in Al-Si piston industry, but trace of Ca element has great influence on the P modification efficiency. In this work, it is found that primary Si can be heterogeneously nucleated by AlP in near eutectic AI-12.6Si alloy, but Ca element may destroy the P modification efficiency, whereas the addition of B can recover the P modification efficiency in near eutectic Al- 12.6Si alloy with high Ca containing. The microstructure transformation was related to the reaction of Ca, B, and AlP. According to the thermodynamic calculation, Ca may react with AlP and form Ca3P2 compound in Al-Si alloy, whereas, when B was added into the melt, AlP could be reformed. The reaction of Ca, B, and AlP can be shown as fol- lows： 2AlP ＋ 3Ca Ca3P2 ＋ 2AI; Ca3P2 ＋ 18B ＋ 2Al 3CAB6＋ 2ALP. In addition, with B added into the AI-12.6Si alloy with Ca and P addition, the mechanical properties were improved compared with single Ca and/or P addition.

Hydrothermal Synthesis and Field Enhancement Behavior of ZnO Nanorods Pattern

We provide a new way to prepare ZnO nanorods pattern from the solution composed of hexamethylenetetramine （HMT） and Zn（NO3）2. The substrate is ITO substrate covered by well ordered Au islands. Since Au and the underneath ITO substrate have two different nucleation rates in the initial stage of heterogeneous nucleation process, the subsequent ZnO growth on the quick nucleating area takes place under diffusion control and is able to confine the synthesis of ZnO nanorods to specific locations. The concentrations of zinc nitrate and HMT are well adjusted to show the possibility of the new route for the patterning of the ZnO nanorods. Furthermore, the nanorods pattern was characterized by X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence and the performance of field emission property from ZnO nanorod patterns was investigated. The ZnO nanorods pattern with a good alignment also shows a good field enhancement behavior with a high value of the field enhancement factor.

Grain refinement of Mg-Al alloys inoculated by MgAl_(2)O_(4)powder

As a potent nucleating substrate forα-Mg grain,MgAl_(2)O_(4) powder was used to inoculate the Mg-Al melt in this study.The effects of MgAl_(2)O_(4)amount,holding time and Al content on the grain size and grain refining ratio of the inoculated Mg-Al alloys are systematically investigated.The results show that the minimum grain size of Mg-3Al alloy is achieved by adding 2wt.%MgAl_(2)O_(4)powder and this alloy exhibits higher grain refining ratio than Mg-5Al and Mg-8Al alloys.The crystallographic misfit calculation indicates the wellmatching and possible orientation relationships(ORs)betweenα-Mg and MgAl_(2)O_(4).Among these predicted ORs,[10–10]α−Mg//[110]MgAl2O4 in(0002)α−Mg//(1–13)MgAl2O4 possesses the smallest misfit,i.e.,2.34%(fr).Both results of the experiment and crystallographic calculation demonstrate that the grain refinement of Mg-Al alloys is attributed to the MgAl_(2)O_(4)particles acting as the heterogeneous nucleation substrates forα-Mg grains.

Performance of Inner-core Supersonic Gas Separation Device with Droplet Enlargement Method

To improve the separation performance of a supersonic gas separation device for the treatment of gas mixture with a single heavy component, a novel structure with shorter settlement distance was constructed and a method of droplet enlargement was applied. A series of experiments were carried out in the improved separation device under various conditions, using air-ethanol vapor as the medium and micro water droplets as nucleation cen- ters. The effects of the inlet pressure, temperature and relative humidity, the swirling intensity, and mass flow rate of water on the separation performance were investigated. The separation was improved by increasing the inlet pressure and relative humidity. With the decrease of swirling intensity and mass flow rate of water, the separation efficiency increased first and then decreased. The inlet temperature had a slight effect on the separation. The results showed that the separation performance was effectively improved using the proposed structure and method, and the best separation in this study was obtained with the ethanol removal rate about 55% and dew point depression 27 K. The addition of water had little pollution to the air-ethanol vapor system since the water carry-over rate was within the range of -2 %-0 in most cases.

Sr Microalloying for Refining Grain Size of AZ91D Magnesium Alloy

The grain refining process of an AZ91D Mg alloy by Sr addition was studied and the heterogeneous nucleating particles of α-Mg were investigated by electron probe microanalysis （EPMA）. With 0.6 wt% Sr addition, the mean grain size of AZ91D alloy was refined from 235.4μm to 52.5 μm at the one-half radius of the ingot. The morphology of primary crystal changed from a sixford symmetrical shape to a petallike shape, Mg-Sr-Al-Fe-Mn heterogeneous nucleating particles were observed at the grain centers and Sr solute atoms presented segregation along the grain boundaries. Grain refinement was facilitated by both the Mg-Sr-Al- Fe-Mn nucleating particles and the Sr solute atoms, and the former played a dominate role in the process.

Thermodynamic analysis on tin precipitation behavior in Ti-bearing peritectic steel after magnesium treatment

TiN,which is ubiquitous in Ti-bearing steel,has a critical influence on both the mechanical properties and the welding process of steel,and therefore researche on the precipitation behavior of TiN in molten steel bath is of great significance.In this paper,Ti-bearing peritectic steel was taken as the study object and FactSage was adopted to explore how the precipitation behavior of typical inclusions in steel was affected by the steel composition.Furthermore,microsegregation models were used to analyze the precipitation process of TiN at solidification front,and the calculation results were finally verified by scanning electron microscope(SEM).Research showed that a multitude of dispersed particles of high melting oxide MgAl2O4 or MgO always existed in molten steel after magnesium treatment.In consideration of the segregation and enrichment of solute elements at the solidification front,the Ohnaka microsegregation model was employed to compute the precipitation during solidification.In the event of the solid fraction reaching 0.95 or more,the concentration product of[Ti][N]at the solidification front exceeded the equilibrium concentration product,then TiN began to precipitate.MgO or MgAl2O4 cores were generally found in TiN particles of peritectic steel after the magnesium treatment,which was consistent with the thermodynamic calculation results.Moreover,the average size of TiN particles was reduced by approximately 49%.This demonstrated that Mg-rich high melting inclusions were formed after the magnesium treatment,by which the heterogeneous nucleation of TiN was promoted it;therefore,favorable nucleation sites were provided for further refining the high-temperature ferrite phase.

Preparation of AZ91D Slurries for Semi-Solid Forming Using Al8 ( Mn, Fe) 5 Precipitates

During the solidification of the AZ91D-alloys, the Al8(Mn, Fe)5 phase is generally precipitated in the melt in advance of the precipitation of the primary α-Mg. The basic principle for manufacturing AZ91D-alloy slurries for semi solid forming is to use the Al8(Mn, Fe)5 precipitates as the heterogeneous nucleation sites for primary α-Mg phases. Microscopic analysis for the location of the Al8(Mn, Fe)5 precipitate explains that the Al8(Mn, Fe)5 precipitate is the effective heterogeneous nucleation site for the primary α-Mg phase. It was also observed that increase of the Mn content in the melt and the cooling rate below to the solid/liquid two-phase region resulted in smaller and more globular primary α-Mg due to the increase of heterogeneous nucleation sites. It was found that the average α-Mg diameter grew as a function of t0.278, where t is the holding time at the solid/liquid two-phase region. This would be attributed to the Ostwald type ripening and coalescence between primary α-Mg phases. The cooling rate below to the solid/liquid two-phase region, Mn content in AZ91D alloy, and the holding time and temperature affected on the quality of slurry.

Influence of Mg_3N_2 powder on microstructures and mechanical properties of AZ31 Mg alloy

In order to obtain an effective and reliable grain refiner for Mg-Al alloys, 1% （mass fraction） Mg3N2 was added into AZ31 Mg alloy. The microstructures of the Mg alloys were studied by optical microscopy, scan electron microscopy and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy, and the mechanical properties were determined. The results show that adding a small amount of Mg3N2 to AZ31 Mg alloy can refine the grain size from 103 to 58 μm. The ultimate tensile strength and elongation of AZ31 Mg alloy are 174.1MPa and 8.3%, respectively. After the addition of 1% Mg3N2, the ultimate tensile strength and elongation of AZ31 Mg alloy are increased up to 198.7 MPa and 11.8%, respectively. The grain refinement mechanism is that AIN is formed after Mg3N2 is added. Both AIN and Mg phases are of HCP lattice structure, and the disregistry between Mg phases and AIN along （0001）Mg//（0001）AIN is 3.04%, which is very effective for heterogeneous nucleation.

Influence of Sb modification on microstructures and mechanical properties of Mg2 Si/AM60 composites

The refining effect and mechanism of Sb on Mg2Si and the microstructure of the matrix were investigated.The results indicate that there are Mg3Sb2 particles in the composites with the addition of Sb,and Mg3Sb2 can promote the formation of fine polygonal type Mg2Si by providing nucleation site.Meanwhile,the grain size of Sb modified alloy is finer than that of the matrix. The improved microstructure results in the improvement of mechanical properties.The ultimate tensile strength is increased by 12.2%with the addition of 0.8%Sb.

Grain refinement of Mg−Al binary alloys inoculated by in-situ oxidation

Utilizing oxide inclusion to induce heterogeneous nucleation event is an available method to achieve grain refinement.In this study,Mg−Al binary alloys were refined by inoculation of in-situ oxidation process.Results show that MgO and MgAl_(2)O_(4) phases are primary oxide products for Mg−xAl alloys inoculated by in-situ oxidation.For pure Mg and Mg−1Al alloy,MgO is the only oxide product.MgAl_(2)O_(4) is another oxide product for Mg−xAl alloy as Al content increases to 3 wt.%.For Mg−3Al alloy,average grain size significantly decreases from 1135 to 237μm,with a high grain refining ratio of 79.1%.Both MgO and MgAl_(2)O_(4) possess nucleating potency forα-Mg grain.MgAl_(2)O_(4) exhibits a higher nucleating potency due to the lower misfit withα-Mg.The grain refinement of Mg−xAl alloys inoculated by in-situ oxidation process is attributed to heterogeneous nucleation events ofα-Mg grains on MgO or MgAl_(2)O_(4) particles.

Revealing the nucleation event of Mg-Al alloy induced by Fe impurity

This study revealed the nucleation event and grain refinement mechanism of Mg-Al alloy induced by Fe impurity.The following orientation relationship was observed between Al-Fe particle andα-Mg matrix in the Mg-3Al alloy containing Fe impurity using a focused ion beam aided transmission electron microscope technique:(1^(-)011)[011^(-)1]_(Mg)//(011^(-))[011]_(Al_(2)Fe).Mg-3Al alloy was inoculated by adding 0.02wt%Fe to verify the nucleating potency of the Al_(2)Fe phase forα-Mg grain.The results indicated that Mg-3Al alloy was effectively refined with an average grain size declining from 1135 to 540μm.Among the potential Al-Fe phases of Mg-3Al-0.02Fe alloy,only the precipitation of the Al_(2)Fe phase occurs earlier than that ofα-Mg grain,and the Al_(2)Fe phase is stable in the nucleation stage ofα-Mg grain.Therefore,the Al_(2)Fe particle is the only available nucleating site for Mg-Al alloy with Fe impurity.The heterogeneous nucleation event ofα-Mg grain on the Al_(2)Fe particle is responsible for the grain refinement of Mg-3Al alloy inoculated by Fe.

Coating of SiC Powder with Nano YAG Phase

SiC-YAG(Y3Al5O12) ceramic composite powders were prepared by co-precipitation coating method. Mechanism of co-precipitation coating of SiC powders with Y3+ and Al3+ precursors was investigated. If the concentration of [OH-] ion in the solution is controlled within the range between critical values for heterogeneous nucleation and homogeneous nucleation, Y3+ and Al3+ precipitation precursors can be coated on the surface of SiC particles. Y3+ and Al3+ precipitation precursors transform into YAG phase after calcining at 1000 ℃ without the formation of YAM and YAP phases. The formation temperature of YAG phase is about 600 ℃ lower than that of conventional powder mixing method. The effect of pH value of the solution and precipitant titration rate on coating quality of SiC-YAG composite powders was also studied. The results show that co-precipitation coating can be realized at a final pH of 9 and a precipitant titration rate of 5 ml·min-1.

Effects of Ce content on the modification of Mg_(2)Si phase in Mg-5Al-2Si alloy

The effect of Ce content(0–1.6 wt.%)on the modification of Mg_(2)Si phase in the as-cast Mg-5Al-2Si alloy was investigated.The original Chinese script type Mg_(2)Si phase was refined distinctly and transformed to dispersive block shape gradually by adding Ce element.The length of Chinese script type Mg_(2)Si phase was reduced from 110 to 50μm with increasing Ce content to 1.6 wt.%.The results calculated by Pandat software indicated that the added Ce element first combined with Si to form CeSi_(2)phase,which could serve as the heterogeneous nucleation of Mg_(2)Si phase due to the small lattice mismatch of 7.97%.The modification of Mg_(2)Si phase was mainly attributed to the facts that Ce changed the growth steps of Mg_(2)Si phase and CeSi_(2)promoted the nucleation of Mg_(2)Si phase.With increasing Ce content from 0 wt.%to 1.6 wt.%,the YS,UTS and EL at 150℃were improved from 67.7 MPa,91.2 MPa and 1.6%to 84.2 MPa,128 MPa and 7.5%,respectively.

Precipitation and Hetero-nucleation Effect of V(C,N) in V-Microalloyed Steel

The precipitation behavior of V（C, N） in steels microalloyed with vanadium was researched using a thermal simulator during single-pass deformation at 800-750 ℃. The V（C, N） precipitates and its nucleation effect on ferrite were investigated by TEM and EDS. The experimental results show that there are two remarkable heterogeneous nucleation effects of V（C, N） particles precipitated before γ →/ α phase change： primary reason is that high coherency between V（C, N） and ferrite promotes V（C, N） to become a nucleating center of intragranular ferrite; secondary reason is that the coarsening of V（C, N） causes locally solute-poor region in austenite, thus expedites the nucleation of intragranular ferrites further. Furthermore, the relationship between the size and shape of V（C, N） was studied, and identification method was provided for distinguishing interphase precipitation and general precipitation to avoid erroneous judgment and misguide.