Hierarchical microstructure enables high strength and good ductility in as-cast Fe_(27)Ni_(35)Cr_(18.25)Al_(13.75)Co_(2)Ti_(2)Mo_(2) high-entropy alloy

As-cast alloys often require complex thermomechanical processing to obtain a hierarchical structure to achieve a good combination of strength and ductility.Here in this work,a novel hierarchical Fe_(27)Ni_(35)Cr_(18.25)Al_(13.75)Co_(2)Ti_(2)Mo_(2) high-entropy alloy(HEA)with ultra-high tensile strength and excellent ductility was fabricated by direct casting.The as-cast alloy exhibits hierarchical structure with an ul-trafine lamellar microstructure(ULM),ultrafine rhombus microstructure(URM),ultrafine vermicular mi-crostructure(UVM),nanosized precipitates and spinodal decomposition(SP)that develops during casting and cooling.The incompatibility of face-centered cubic(FCC)and body-centered cubic(BCC)phases in the deformation process leads to heterogeneous deformation-induced(HDI)hardening,which brings the alloy a tensile yield strength(YS)of~1056 MPa,an ultimate tensile strength(UTS)of~1526 MPa and a total elongation(El)of~15.6%.Additionally,the numerous interfaces generated by the hierarchical structure absorb the energy during deformation,effectively retarding the dislocation motion and causing strong work-hardening.

Single-atom Zn confined in hierarchical hollow microstructure as an acid/base-resistant microwave absorption materials

Developing acid/base-resistant and low-price microwave-absorbing materials with lighter weight is highly desired for practical applications in extreme environments.Herein,we demonstrate the successful synthesis of the N-doped porous carbon(NC)material with hierarchical pore structure by the spray pyrolysis method.The large specific surface area(SBET=707.53 m^(2)·g^(−1))of materials enables multiple scattering of incident electromagnetic waves,and N doping greatly enhances the electrical conductivity of the material.Notably,single-atom Zn can adjust the local electronic structure of adjacent sites such as carbon and nitrogen atoms,induce the center of polarization,and thus change the dielectric and electronic properties of the host material.The porous carbon coating of single-atom Zn avoids the deterioration of electromagnetic parameters caused by the accumulation of magnetic particles under high-temperature pyrolysis.At the same time,they can also be used in various complex environments,such as acidic and basic environments.Ultimately,NC-1000,with high surface area,low density,and good chemical stability,obtained a minimum reflection loss(RLmin)of−50.5 dB and an effective absorption bandwidth(EAB)exceeding 5.1 GHz at the thickness of 1.9 mm.After soaking in the strong acid and base solution,the electromagnetic wave absorption performance of the material decreased by<15%.Widely available raw materials and a simple preparation scheme are expected to expedite industrial mass production for this novel type of materials.

Spontaneous hierarchical surface engineering of minerals through coupled dissolution-precipitation chemistry

Peculiar hierarchical microstructures in creatures inspire modern material design with distinct functionalities.Creatures can effortlessly construct sophisticated yet long-range ordered microstructure across bio-membrane through ion secretion and precipitation.However,microstructure biomimicry in current technology generally requires elaborate,point-by-point fabrication.Herein,a spontaneous yet controllable strategy is developed to achieve surface microstructure engineering through a natural surface phenomenon similar to ion secretion-precipitation,that is,coupled dissolution-precipitation.A series of hierarchical microstructures on mineral surfaces in fluids with tunable morphology,orientation,dimension,and spatial distribution are achieved by simply controlling initial dissolution and fluid chemistry.In seawater,long-range ordered film of vertically aligned brucite flakes forms through interfacial dissolution,nucleation,and confinement-induced orientation of flakes with vertically grown{110}plane,on the edge of which,fusiform aragonite epitaxially precipitates.With negligible initial surface dissolution,prismatic aragonite epitaxially grows on a calcite polyhedron-packed surface.By tuning fluid chemistry,closely packed calcite polyhedron and loosely packed calcite micro-pillars are engineered through rapid and retarded precipitation,respectively.Surprisingly,the spontaneously grown microstructures resemble those deliberately created by human or found in nature,and tremendously modulate surface functionality.These findings open new possibilities for facile and customizable engineering of microstructural surfaces,hierarchical heterostructures,and biomimetic materials.

Tailored microstructures and strengthening mechanisms in an additively manufactured dualphase high-entropy alloy via selective laser melting

Dual-phase high-entropy alloys(DP-HEAs)with excellent strength-ductility combinations have attracted scientific interests.In the present study,the microstructures of AlCrCuFeNi3.0DP-HEA fabricated via selective laser melting(SLM)are rationally adjusted and controlled.The mechanisms engendering the hierarchical microstructures are revealed.It is found that the AlCrCuFeNi3.0fabricated by SLM at the scanning speed of 400 mm s-1falls into the eutectic coupled zone,and increasing the scanning speed will make this composition deviate away from the eutectic coupled zone due to the increased cooling rate.The enrichment of Cr and Fe solutes with large growth restriction values ahead of the solid/liquid interface can develop a constitutional supercooling zone,thus facilitating the heterogeneous nucleation and nearequiaxed grain formation.The synergy of the near-eutectic DP nano-structures and near-equiaxed grains instead of columnar ones effectively suppresses cracking for the as-built DP-HEA.During the tensile deformation,the intergranular back stress hardening similar to the grain-boundary strengthening is discovered.Meanwhile,the near-eutectic microstructures comprised of soft face-centered cubic and hard ordered bodycentered cubic(B2)DP nano-structures lead to plastic strain incompatibility within grains,thus producing the intragranular back stress.The Cr-rich nano-precipitates inside the B2 phase are found to be sheared by dislocation gliding and can complement the back stress.Additionally,multiple strengthening mechanisms are physically evaluated,and the back stress strengthening contributes obviously to the high performances of the as-built DP-HEA.

Effect of rotationally accelerated shot peening on the microstructure and mechanical behavior of a metastableβtitanium alloy

Microstructural evolution and deformation mechanism of a metastableβalloy(Ti-10 V-2 Fe-3 Al)processed by rotationally accelerated shot peening(RASP)were systematically investigated with optical microscopy,X-ray diffraction,electron backscatter diffraction and transmission electron microscopy.Different gradient hierarchical microstructures(gradients inα″martensite andβphase,and hierarchical twins range from the nanoscale to microscale)can be fabricated by RASP via changing the shot peening time.The hardening behavior and tensile mechanical properties of gradient hierarchical microstructure were systematically explored.Novel deformation twinning systems of{112}α″and{130}<310>α″in the kinkedα″martensite were revealed during the tensile deformation.It was found that stress-induced martensitic transformation,twinnedα″martensite and the related dynamic grain refinement contribute to hardness and work hardening ability.Simultaneous improvement of strength and ductility of the metastableα″titanium alloy can be achieved by introducing a gradient hierarchical microstructure.

The Prey Capture Mechanism of Micro Structure on the Sarracenia Judith Hindle Inner Surface

Low friction surface has attracted considerable attention due to its potential application in various fields. As a typical carnivorous plant, Sarracenia Judith Hindle possesses unique slippery surface to capture prey especially in wet environment. In order to make clear the low friction mechanism, structural characterization was carried out and unique inclined micro-thorn structure was found on the inner wall surface. Micro-droplets harvest on the surface of the micro-thorn was discovered via the observation in wet environment. Friction force measurement was conducted by sliding the ants＇ footpad on the inner surface and polymer replica surfaces, which demonstrated that the friction force decreases on those surfaces in wet environment or inward direction. Further analysis manifested that the slippery inner surface grown with hierarchical micro-thorn structure leads to the friction decrease, and that is the fundamental mechanism for prey capture and retention in the pitcher of carnivorous plant Sarracenia Judith Hindle.

Supramolecular Self-assembly Behaviors of Asymmetric Diblock Copolymer Blends with Hydrogen Bonding Interactions between Shorter Blocks Modelled by Yukawa Potentials

We employed the extended self-consistent field theory to investigate the supramolecular self-assembly behaviors of asymmetric diblock copolymer blends(AB/B’C)with hydrogen bonding interactions between shorter B and B’blocks.The hydrogen bonding interactions are described by Yukawa potentials,where the hydrogen bonding donors and acceptors were modelled as two blocks smeared with opposite screened charges.The hierarchical microstructures with parallelly packed lamellae-in-lamellae(Lam)and 4.8.8 Archimedean tilting pattern(4.8.8)were observed at lower and higher hydrogen bonding density(θ),respectively.The hierarchy of Lam and 4.8.8 were demonstrated by the one-and two-dimensional density profiles and the underlying order of the large-length-scale and small-length-scale microstructures were also clarified.It was found that the 4.8.8 is favorable to the stronger hydrogen bonding density or interactions.Asθincreases,the microphase transition from Lam to 4.8.8 occurs atθ=0.34,which is mainly attributed to the optimization of the electrostatic energy and conformational entropy with sacrificing the interfacial energy.This work can provide a new strategy to understand the supramolecular self-assembly as well as the mechanism behind the formation of complex hierarchical microstructures.

A dislocation-based model for cyclic plastic response of lath martensitic steels

Softening behavior of lath martensitic steels is related to the coarsening of laths and dislocation evolution during cyclic deformation.Involving the physical mechanism,we developed a dislocation-based model to study the cyclic plastic response for lath martensitic steels.For a block,we proposed an interfacial dislocation evolution model to physically present the interaction between mobile dislocations in the block and interfacial dislocations by considering the coarsening mechanism of the laths.Moreover,the evolution behavior of backstress caused by dislocation pile up at the block boundary has been considered.Then,a hierarchical model based on the elastic-viscoplastic self-consistent(EVPSC)theory is developed,which can realize the scale transition among representative volume element(RVE),prior austenite grains(PAGs)and blocks.According to the proposed model,the effective mechanical responses including the cyclic hysteretic loop and peak stress at different cycles for lath martensitic steel have been theoretically predicted and investigated.

Flexible Broadband Light Absorbers with a Superhydrophobic Surface Fabricated by Ultraviolet-assisted Nanoimprint Lithography

We present a simple approach to fabricate a kind of composite films with a superhydrophobic and broadband light absorbing surface by ultraviolet-assisted nanoimprinting over a gradiently deposited composite matrix.The wettability and optical property of the resultant surfaces are tunable by the deposition time before polymerization(T_(s))and mold’s topography.Mechanically robust and elastomeric films exhibiting high sunlight absorptivity up to 98.13%and contact angle of their surfaces up to 150°are prepared under optimized conditions,as using a mold with a small pattern size(hexagonal periodic mold with cylinder diameter of ca.37μm)under T_(s)=10 min for imprinting the crosslinked poly[di(ethylene glycol)ethyl ether acrylate]and poly(isobornyl acrylate)in the presence of polypyrrole(PPy)nanoparticles.Such dual functions are found related to the hierarchical architecture of the surface,arising from the synergetic effects of the periodical patterned polymer substrate and spontaneously assembled PPy microstructures on the patterns.The current strategy based on the combination of ultraviolet-assisted nanoimprint lithography and hierarchical assembly of gradiently deposited black nano-fillers offers a new insight into the design of robust superhydrophobic and black surfaces,which is helpful to deepen our understanding of the relationship between liquid/light manipulation and micro/nanostructured surfaces.