Nano silica aerogel-induced formation of an organic/alloy biphasic interfacial layer enables construction of stable high-energy lithium metal batteries

Lithium metal batteries represent promising candidates for high-energy-density batteries, however, many challenges must still be overcome,e.g., interface instability and dendrite growth. In this work, nano silica aerogel was employed to generate a hybrid film with high lithium ion conductivity(0.6 mS cm^(-1)at room temperature) via an in situ crosslinking reaction. TOF-SIMS profile analysis has revealed conversion mechanism of hybrid film to Li–Si alloy/Li F biphasic interface layer, suggesting that the Li–Si alloy and Li F-rich interface layer promoted rapid Li+transport and shielded the Li anodes from corrosive reactions with electrolyte-derived products. When coupled with nickel-cobalt-manganese-based cathodes, the batteries achieve outstanding capacity retention over 1000 cycles at 1 C. Additionally the developed film coated on Li enabled high coulombic efficiency(99.5%) after long-term cycling when coupled with S cathodes. Overall, the results presented herein confirm an effective strategy for the development of high-energy batteries.

Investigation of the Laser Powder Bed Fusion Process of Ti-6.5Al-3.5Mo-1.5Zr-0.3Si Alloy

Laser powder bed fusion(LPBF)is an advanced manufacturing technology;however,inappropriate LPBF process parameters may cause printing defects in materials.In the present work,the LPBF process of Ti-6.5Al-3.5Mo-1.5Zr-0.3Si alloy was investigated by a two-step optimization approach.Subsequently,heat transfer and liquid flow behaviors during LPBF were simulated by a well-tested phenomenological model,and the defect formation mechanisms in the as-fabricated alloy were discussed.The optimized process parameters for LPBF were detected as laser power changed from 195 W to 210 W,with scanning speed of 1250 mm/s.The LPBF process was divided into a laser irradiation stage,a spreading flow stage,and a solidification stage.The morphologies and defects of deposited tracks were affected by liquid flow behavior caused by rapid cooling rates.The findings of this research can provide valuable support for printing defect-free metal components.

Effect of Ti on microstructure and properties of electromagnetic stirred Al-18wt.%Mg_(2)Si alloy

By adding different amounts of Ti into the electromagnetic stirred Al-18wt.%Mg_(2)Si alloy,the effect of Ti element on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloy was studied.The experimental results show that the microstructure is refined after modification with Ti,which is related to the heterogeneous nucleation of TiAl_(3) particles on theα-Al matrix.With the increase of Ti content and holding time after stirring,the primary Mg_(2)Si phase is refined firstly and then coarsened,and correspondingly,the mechanical properties of the alloy show a trend of increasing at first and then decreasing.When the addition of Ti is 0.5wt.%and the holding time is about 20 min,the refinement effect of primary Mg_(2)Si phase is the most significant and the mechanical properties of the alloy are optimal.

Influence of technical parameters on strength and ductility of AlSi9Cu3 alloys in squeeze casting

An orthogonal test was conducted to investigate the influence of technical parameters of squeeze casting on the strength and ductility of AISigCu3 alloys. The experimental results showed that when the forming pressure was higher than 65 MPa, the strength （ab） of A1Si9Cu3 alloys decreased with the forming pressure and pouring temperature increasing, whereas ab increased with the increase of filling velocity and mould preheating temperature. The ductility （6） by alloy was improved by increasing the forming pressure and filling velocity, but decreased with pouring temperature increasing. When the mould preheating temperature increased, the ductility increased first, and then decreased. Under the optimized parameters of pouring temperature 730 ℃, forming pressure 75 MPa, filling velocity 0.50 m/s, and mould preheating temperature 220 ℃, the tensile strength, elongation, and hardness of A1Si9Cu3 alloys obtained in squeeze casting were improved by 16.7%, 9.1%, and 10.1%, respectively, as compared with those of sand castings.

Effects of neodymium addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of near-eutectic Al-12Si alloys

The microstructure and mechanical properties of near-eutectic Al-12 Si alloys modified with 0-0.4% Nd（mass fraction） were investigated. The results indicate that a submicro- or nano-sized Al2 Nd phase is observed in the modified alloy with 0.3% Nd. The morphology of the α（Al） phase is significantly refined in the Nd-modified alloys. The primary Si morphology simultaneously changes into a fine, particle-like morphology, and the morphology of eutectic Si becomes fine-fibrous instead of coarse-acicular. Relatively few growth twins are observed on the surface of the Si plate in the Al-12Si-0.3Nd alloy at the optimal modification level. The mechanical property test results confirm that the mechanical properties of the as-cast Al-12 Si alloys are enhanced after the Nd addition, with optimal ultimate tensile strength（UTS） of 252 MPa and elongation（EL） of 13% at an Nd content of 0.3%. The improved mechanical properties are attributed to the refined morphology of Si phase and the formation of the Al2 Nd phase.

Effect of Sr modification on microstructure and thermal conductivity of hypoeutectic Al−Si alloys

Trace amount of Sr(0.05 wt.%)was added into the hypoeutectic Al−Si(3−12 wt.%Si)alloys to modify their microstructure and improve thermal conductivity.The results showed that the thermal conductivity of hypoeutectic Al−Si alloys was improved by Sr modification,and the increment and increasing rate of the thermal conductivity gradually increased with Si content increasing.The improvement of thermal conductivity was primarily related to the morphology variation of eutectic Si phases.In Sr-modified Al−Si alloys,the morphology of eutectic Si phases was a mixed morphology of fiber structure and fine flaky structure,and the proportion of the fine flaky eutectic Si phases gradually decreased with Si content increasing.Under the Si content reaching 9 wt.%,the proportion of fine flaky eutectic Si phases was nearly negligible in Sr-modified alloys.Correspondingly,the increment and increasing rate of thermal conductivity of Sr-modified alloys reached the maximum and tended to be stable.

Microstructure and properties of rheo-HPDC Al-8Si alloy prepared by air-cooled stirring rod process

A new and effective semisolid slurry preparation process with air-cooled stirring rod(ACSR)is reported,in which the compressed air is constantly injected into the inner cavity of a stirring rod to cool the melt.The slurry of a newly developed high thermal conductivity Al?8Si alloy was prepared,and thin-wall heat dissipation shells were produced by the ACSR process combined with a HPDC machine.The effects of the air flow on the morphology ofα1-Al particles,mechanical properties and thermal conductivity of rheo-HPDC samples were studied.The results show that the excellent slurry of the alloy could be obtained with the air flow exceeding3L/s.Rheo-HPDC samples that were produced with the air flow of5L/s had the maximum UTS,YS,elongation,hardness and thermal conductivity of261MPa,124MPa,4.9%,HV99and153W/(m·K),respectively.Rheo-HPDC samples show improved properties compared to those formed by HPDC,and the increasing rates of UTS,YS,elongation,hardness and thermal conductivity were20%,15%,88%,13%and10%,respectively.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Al−Mg−Si alloy U-shaped profile

To get a full understanding of hot extrusion,solid solution treatment and aging process on the Al−0.56Mg−0.63Si alloy,the microstructure and mechanical properties of a U-shaped profile were studied through optical microscopy,scanning electrical microscopy,transmission electrical microscopy,hardness,and tensile tests.The coarse equiaxed grains existed near the profile edge as a result of the dynamic recrystallization nucleation and exceeding growth during hot extrusion.The fibrous deformed and sub-structured grains located between the two coarse grain layers,due to the occurrence of work-hardening and dynamic recovery.Perpendicular needle β′′precipitates were distributed inside the grain,and obvious precipitates-free zone appeared after aging treatment.The tensile strength,yield strength and elongation of the aged Al−Mg−Si alloy U-shaped profile were no less than 279.4 MPa,258.6 MPa,and 21.6%,respectively.The fracture morphology showed dimple rupture characteristics.The precipitates and grain boundaries played key role in the strengthening contribution.

Modification and refinement mechanism of Mg_2Si phase in Sr-containing AZ61-0.7Si magnesium alloy

The effect of Sr on modification and refinement of the Mg 2 Si phase in an AZ61-0.7Si magnesium alloy has been investigated and analyzed.The results indicate that Sr can effectively modify and refine the Chinese-script shaped Mg2Si phase in the AZ61-0.7Si alloy.By adding 0.06wt.%-0.12wt.%Sr to AZ61-0.7Si alloy,the Mg2Si phase in the alloy can be changed from the initial coarse Chinese-script shape to fine granule and/or irregular polygonal shapes.Accordingly,the Sr-containing AZ61-0.7Si alloy exhibits higher tensile and creep properties than the AZ61-0.7Si alloy without Sr modification.The mechanism on modification and refinement of the Mg2Si phase in Sr-containing AZ61-0.7Si alloy is possibly related to the following two aspects:(1)adding Sr may form the Al4Sr phase which can serve as the heterogeneous nucleus for the Mg2Si particles and/or(2)adding Sr may lower the onset crystallizing temperature and increase the undercooling level.

Effect of Li addition on mechanical properties and ageing precipitation behavior of extruded Al-3.0 Mg-0.5 Si alloy

The effect of Li(2.0 wt%)addition on mechanical properties and ageing precipitation behavior of Al-3.0 Mg 0.5 Si was investigated by tensile test,dynamic elasticity modulus test,scanning electron microscopy(SEM),transmission electron microscopy(TEM)and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM)images.The results show that the tensile strength of the Li-containing alloy can be significantly improved;however,the ductility is sharply decreased and the fracture mechanism changes from ductile fracture to intergranular fracture.The elasticity modulus of the Li-containing alloy increases by 11.6%compared with the base alloy.The microstructure observation shows that the Li addition can absolutely change the precipitation behavior of the base alloy,andδ′-Al_(3)Li phase becomes the main precipitates.Besides,β′′-Mg_(2)Si andδ′-Al_(3)Li dual phases precipitation can be visibly observed at 170℃ ageing for 100 h,although the quantity ofδ′-Al_(3)Li phase is more thanβ′′-Mg_(2)Si phase.The width of the precipitate-free zone(PFZ)of the Li-containing alloy is much wider at the over-ageing state than the base alloy,which has a negative impact on the ductile and results in the decrease of elongation.

Effect of TiB2 and Al3Ti on the microstructure,mechanical properties and fracture behaviour of near eutectic Al−12.6Si alloy

A near eutectic Al−12.6Si alloy was developed with 0.0wt%,2.0wt%,4.0wt%,and 6.0wt%Al−5Ti−1B master alloy.The micro-structural morphology,hardness,tensile strength,elongation,and fracture behaviour of the alloys were studied.The unmodified Al−12.6Si al-loy has an irregular needle and plate-like eutectic silicon(ESi)and coarse polygonal primary silicon(PSi)particles in the matrix-likeα-Al phase.The P_(Si),E_(Si),andα-Al morphology and volume fraction were changed due to the addition of the Al−5Ti−1B master alloy.The hardness,UTS,and elongation improved due to the microstructural modification.Nano-sized in-situ Al3Ti particles and ex-situ TiB_(2)particles caused the mi-crostructural modification.The fracture images of the developed alloys exhibit a ductile and brittle mode of fracture at the same time.The Al−5Ti−1B modified alloys have a more ductile mode of fracture and more dimples compared to the unmodified alloy.

Effect of compression ratio on microstructure evolution of Mg−10%Al−1%Zn−1%Si alloy prepared by SIMA process

A new Mg−10%Al−1%Zn−1%Si alloy with non-dendritic microstructure was prepared by strain induced melt activation(SIMA)process.The effect of compression ratio on the evolution of semisolid microstructure of the experimental alloy was investigated.The results indicate that the average size ofα-Mg grains decreases and spheroidizing tendency becomes more obvious with the compression ratios increasing from 0 to 40%.In addition,the eutectic Mg2Si phase in the Mg−10%Al−1%Zn−1%Si alloy transforms completely from the initial fishbone shape to globular shape by SIMA process.With the increasing of compression ratio,the morphology and average size of Mg2Si phases do not change obviously.The morphology modification mechanism of Mg2Si phase in Mg−10%Al−1%Zn−1%Si alloy by SIMA process was also studied.

Microstructures and tensile properties of as-cast Mg-5Sn-1Si magnesium alloy modified with trace elements of Y,Bi,Sb and Sr

The microstructures and mechanical properties of as-cast Mg-5 Sn-1 Si magnesium alloy modified with trace elements Y,Bi,Sb and Sr were investigated and compared.Results show that the microstructure of the as-cast Mg-5 Sn-1 Si alloy consists ofα-Mg,Mg_(2) Si,Mg_(2) Sn and Mg_(2)(Si_xSn_(1-x))phases.After adding 0.8 wt.%Y,0.3 wt.%Bi,0.9 wt.%Sb and 0.9 wt.%Sr,respectively into the Mg-5 Sn-1 Si magnesium alloy,Mg_(24)Y_(5),Mg_(3) Bi_(2),Mg_(3) Sb_(2) and Mg_(2) Sr phases are precipitated accordingly.Trace elements can refineα-Mg grain and Chinese scriptshaped Mg_(2) Si phase.Refinement efficiency of different trace elements onα-Mg grain and Mg_(2) Si phase is varied.Sr element has the best refinement effect,followed by Sb and Bi,while Y has the least refinement effect.Mg-5 Sn-1 Si-0.9 Sr alloy has higher tensile properties than the other three modified alloys.The refinement mechanism of Y,Bi and Sr elements on Mg-5 Sn-1 Si magnesium alloy can be explained by the growth restriction factors and the solute undercooling.For Mg-5 Sn-1 Si-0.9 Sb alloy,the heterogeneous nuclei of Mg_(3) Sb_(2) phase is the main reason for the refinement of grains and second phases.

Thermal stability and precipitate microstructures of Al−Si−Mg−Er alloy

The effect of Er on the microhardness and precipitation behavior of the heat-treated Al−Si−Mg alloy was investigated by microhardness tester and TEM.As a comparison,the influence of natural aging was also studied.It is shown that the thermal stability of the over-aged Al−Si−Mg−Er alloy is highly related to the average size of the precipitates.The average size ofβ''precipitates in Al−Si−Mg−Er alloy is smaller than that in Al−Si−Mg alloy,and the distribution is more localized under condition of without introducing natural aging.However,when natural aging is introduced before artificial aging,the Al−Si−Mg−Er alloy has similar average size and distribution of precipitates with the Al−Si−Mg alloy,resulting in similar mechanical properties.The effect of Er on the precipitation kinetics in the alloy was also discussed in detail to explain these phenomena.

Isothermal corrosion Fe_3Si alloy in liquid zinc

The isothermal corrosion testing, microscopic examination and the performance of Fe3Si alloy as materials of construction for bath hardware in continuous hot-dipping lines were studied. The corrosion of Fe3Si alloy in molten zinc was controlled by attacking the grain boundaries preferentially. Aluminum reacted with iron of Fe3Si alloy firstly while the samples were immersed in molten zinc, although aluminum contents in the molten zinc were very low. The phase of reaction product was thought to be Fe2Al5. The corrosion rate of the Fe3Si alloy in molten zinc was determined to be approximately 2.9×10^-3 mm/h, therefore the liquid zinc corrosion resistance of Fe3Si alloy was very weak.

Microstructures and mechanical properties of in-situ TiB2/Al−xSi−0.3Mg composites

In-situ 2 vol.%TiB2 particle reinforced Al−xSi−0.3Mg(x=7,9,12,15 wt.%)composites were prepared by the salt−metal reaction,and the microstructures and mechanical properties were investigated.The results show that the TiB2 particles with a diameter of 20−80 nm and the eutectic Si with a length of 1−10μm are the main strengthening phases in the TiB2/Al−xSi−0.3Mg composites.The TiB2 particles promote grain refinement and modify the eutectic Si from needle-like to short-rod shape.However,the strengthening effect of TiB2 particles is weakened as the Si content exceeds the eutectic composition,which can be attributed to the formation of large and irregular primary Si.The axial tensile test results and fractography observations indicate that these composites show more brittle fracture characteristics than the corresponding alloy matrixes.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-Mg_2Si composite fabricated in-situ by vibrating cooling slope

An innovative semisolid technique termed as vibrating cooling slope(VCS)has been applied to producing in-situ Al-25%Mg2Si(mass fraction)composite.The molten Al-16.5Mg-9.4%Si(mass fraction)alloy with 100°C superheat was poured on the surface of an inclined copper plate(set at 45°inclined angle)while it was vibrated at a frequency of 40 Hz and an amplitude of 400μm.After travelling the length of 40 cm on the slope,the resultant semisolid alloy was cast into a steel mold.For the purpose of comparison,reference composite samples were made by gravity casting(GC)and conventionally still cooling slope casting(CS)methods using the same alloy under identical conditions.The samples were hot extruded at 500°C.It was concluded that the size of Mg2Si particles was decreased by about 50%and 70%for the CS and VCS produced samples respectively when compared to that of the GC produced sample.Despite of their higher porosity contents,both the as-cast and hot-extruded VCS processed samples exhibited higher hardness,shear yield stress(SYS)and ultimate shear strength(USS)values as compared with their GC produced counterparts.These results were attributed to the refined and modified microstructure obtained via this newly developed technique.

Mechanical and thermo-physical properties of rapidly solidified Al-50Si-Cu(Mg) alloys for thermal management application

Al-high Si alloys were designed by the addition of Cu or Mg alloying elements to improve the mechanical properties. It is found that the addition of 1 wt.% Cu or 1 wt.% Mg as strengthening elements significantly improves the tensile strength by 27.2% and 24.5%, respectively. This phenomenon is attributed to the formation of uniformly dispersed fine particles(Al2Cu and Mg2Si secondary phases) in the Al matrix during hot press sintering of the rapidly solidified(gas atomization) powder. The thermal conductivity of the Al-50 Si alloys is reduced with the addition of Cu or Mg, by only 7.3% and 6.8%, respectively. Therefore, the strength of the Al-50 Si alloys is enhanced while maintaining their excellent thermo-physical properties by adding 1% Cu(Mg).

Effect of T6-treatments on microstructure and mechanical properties of forged Al-4.4Cu-0.7Mg-0.6Si alloy

Transmission electron microscopy(TEM),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),hardness tests and tensile tests were performed to investigate the effect of aging on microstructure and mechanical properties of forged Al-4.4Cu-0.7Mg-0.6Si alloy.The results show that the alloy exhibits splendid mechanical properties with an ultimate tensile strength of504MPa and an elongation of10.1%after aging at170°C for16h.With tensile testing temperature increasing to150°C,the strength of the alloy declines slightly to483MPa.Then,the strength drops quickly when temperature reaches over200°C.The high strength of the alloy in peak-aged condition is caused by a considerable amount ofθ'and AlMgSiCu(Q)precipitates.The relatively stable mechanical properties tested below150°C are mainly ascribed to the stability ofθ'precipitates.The growth ofθ'and Q precipitates and the generation ofθphase lead to a rapid drop of the strength when temperature is over150°C.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir processed Al−Mg2Si alloys

The microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir processed Al−Mg2Si alloys were studied by TEM and EBSD.The results showed that an increase in the tool rotation speed(300−700 r/min)led to a decrease in the defect area(from 10.5 mm2 to zero),whereas the defect area demonstrated the opposite trend(increased to 1.5 mm2 from zero)upon further increasing the rotation speed(700−1200 r/min).The types of defects were transformed from tunnel defects to fusion defects as the rotational speed increased.The coarse Mg2Si dendrites were broken and fine particles(smaller than 10mm)formed in the weld nugget(WN).The amount of low-angle grain boundaries increased significantly from 57.7%to 83.6%,which was caused by an increase in the content of the deformed structure(from 1.7%to 13.6%).The hardness,ultimate tensile strength(UTS)and elongation were all greatly improved for the weld nugget.The hardness values of the WNs had the following order:R300<R1200<R500<R900<R700.The UTS and elongation had the following order:BM(base material)<R300<R1200<R500<R900<R700.The UTS and the elongation for the WN were increased by one and three times,respectively.