Preparation of Ti-Ni Porous Alloys and Its Hydrogen Isotope Effects

Ti-Ni porous alloy was made from titanium and nickel powder mixture in equiatomic composition by combustion synthesis technique (self-propagation high temperature synthesis). The result analyzed by SEM and XRD shows that the alloy possesses high porosity (50%～70%), and mainly consists of TiNi phase as well as rare Ti_2Ni and TiNi_3 transition phase. Then it was activated, cracked and used as sorbent for hydrogen isotope separation. Through experiment investigation, it was discovered that the alloy is able to absorb hydrogen in very large quantities in the lattice thereof, but deuterium only very slightly or not at all, at temperatures up to 623 K, especially at temperatures from about 323 to 423 K. According to this characteristic, the Ti-Ni porous alloys may replace noble metal palladium(Pd) as used for hydrogen isotope separation and purification. Study illustrated that the technology would have a promising engineering application, such as being used for reprocessing Tokamak exhaust gases and producing high purity deuterium.

Influence of solidification mode on pore structure of directionally solidified porous Cu-Mn alloy

By the directional solidification of metal-gas eutectic method（GASAR）,porous Cu-Mn alloy with oriented pores was fabricated successfully.The variation of pore structure was studied by experiments.The results show that the pore structure is primarily dependent on the solidification mode（planar,columnar cellular,columnar dendritic,equiaxed dendritic）,which is controlled by the solidification process.By numerical simulation,it is noted that along with solidification,the solidification mode of the alloy transforms from cellular to columnar dendritic and finally to equiaxed dendritic.Through increasing melt temperature and mold preheating,the range of equiaxed dendrite could be decreased,which helps to extend the region of oriented pore structure.

Phase transformation and damping behavior of lightweight porous TiNiCu alloys fabricated by powder metallurgy process

Porous TiNiCu ternary shape memory alloys （SMAs） were successfully fabricated by powder metallurgy method. The microstructure, martensitic transformation behavior, damping performance and mechanical properties of the fabricated alloys were intensively studied. It is found that the apparent density of alloys decreases with increasing the Cu content, the porous Ti50Ni40Cu10 alloy exhibits wide endothermic and exothermic peaks arisen from the hysteresis of martensitic transformations, while the porous Ti50Ni30Cu20 alloy shows much stronger and narrower endothermic and exothermic peaks owing to the B2-B19 transformation taking place easily. Moreover, the porous Ti50Ni40Cu10 alloy shows a lower shape recovery rate than the porous Ti50Ni50 alloy, while the porous Ti50Ni30Cu20 alloy behaves reversely. In addition, the damping capacity （or internal friction, IF） of the porous TiNiCu alloys increases with increasing the Cu content. The porous Ti50Ni30Cu20 alloy has very high equivalent internal friction, with the maximum equivalent internal friction value five times higher than that of the porous Ti50Ni50 alloy.

Effect of gelcasting conditions on quality of porous Al-Cu alloy

The porous A1-Cu alloy was prepared by the gelcasting process. And the effects of gelcasting conditions, such as monomer, the volume ratio of cross-linker and monomer, dispersant and redox initiating system on the height, gelling time and the quality of green body were investigated. （It was found that the dispersant and monomer played significant roles in the height and quality of green bodies, respectively.） The optimal conditions were 10% monomer, 2% cross-linker, 0.2% initiator （volume fraction）, and 1.2 g dispersant, in which the green body exhibited the best quality. The mechanisms of process conditions in eliminating the cracks and forming the pores of in the five stages were proposed. Mercury porosimetry provided a description of pore diameter ranging from 10 to 10000 nm and open porosity of 38.78 %.

Oxidation behavior and mechanism of porous nickel-based alloy between 850 and 1000 °C

The oxidation behavior and mechanism of a porous Ni?Cr?Al?Fe alloy in the temperature range from850to1000°Cwere investigated by optical microscopy,scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS),X-raydiffraction(XRD)analyses and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS).The results show that the oxidation kinetics at950and1000°C of this porous alloy is pseudo-parabolic type.Complex layers composed of external Cr2O3/NiCr2O4and internalα-Al2O3areformed on the surface of the oxidized porous alloys.γ?phases favor the formation of NiO/Cr2O3/NiCr2O4during the initial oxidation.Many fast diffusion paths contribute to the development of the oxide layers.The decrease of the open porosity and the permeabilitywith exposure time extending and temperature increasing can be controlled within a certain range.

Effects of ball milling time on porous Ti-3Ag alloy and its apatite-inducing abilities

Ti and Ag powders were mixed with different ball milling time （1, 2, 5 and 10 h） and sintered into porous Ti-3Ag alloys. The samples were treated with hydrothermal treatment, and their apatite-inducing abilities were further evaluated by immersion in modified simulated body fluid. The results indicate that the high surface energy brought by powder refinement leads to the decline of Ag, but promotes the oxidation of Ti during the sintering process. Meanwhile, the hydrothermal treated porous Ti-3Ag alloys prepared by the powders ball milled for 10 h possess the best apatite-inducing ability.

Preparation and characterization of porous NiTi alloys synthesized by microwave sintering using Mg space holder

To obtain the lightweight,high strength,and high damping capacity porous NiTi alloys,the microwave sintering coupled with the Mg space holder technique was employed to prepare the porous NiTi alloys.The microstructure,mechanical properties,phase transformation behavior,superelasticity,and damping capacity of the porous NiTi alloys were investigated.The results show that the porous NiTi alloys are mainly composed of the B2 NiTi phase with a few B19'NiTi phase as the sintering temperature is lower than or equal to 900℃.With increasing the sintering temperature,the porosities of the porous NiTi alloys gradually decrease and the compressive strength increases first,reaching the maximum value at 900℃,and then decreases.With increasing the Mg content from 1 wt.%to 7 wt.%,the porosities of the porous NiTi alloys increase from 37.8%to 47.1%,while the compressive strength decreases from 2058 to 1146 MPa.Compared with the NH4HCO3 space holder,the phase transformation behavior of the porous NiTi alloys prepared with Mg space holder changes,and all of the compressive strength,superelasticity,shape memory effect and damping capacity are greatly improved.

Preparation of porous Ta-10%Nb alloy scaffold and its in vitro biocompatibility evaluation using MC3T3-E1 cells

A highly porous Ta-10%Nb alloy was successfully prepared for tissue engineering via the methods of the sponge impregnation and sintering techniques.The porous Ta-10%Nb alloy offers the capability of processing a pore size of 300-600μm,a porosity of(68.0±0.41)%,and open porosity of(93.5±2.6)%.The alloy also shows desirable mechanical properties similar to those of cancellous bone with the elastic modulus and the comprehensive strength of(2.54±0.5)GPa and(83.43±2.5)MPa,respectively.The morphology of the pores in the porous Ta-Nb alloy shows a good interconnected three-dimension(3D)network open cell structure.It is also found that the rat MC3T3-E1 cell can well adhere,grow and proliferate on the porous Ta-Nb alloy.The interaction of the porous alloy on cells is attributed to its desirable pore structure,porosity and the great surface area.The advanced mechanical and biocompatible properties of the porous alloy indicate that this material has promising potential applications in tissue engineering.

Pore structure and mechanical properties of directionally solidi ed porous aluminum alloys

Porous aluminum alloys produced by the metal-gas eutectic method or GASAR process need to be performed under a certain pressure of hydrogen, and to carry over melt to a tailor-made apparatus that ensures directional solidif ication. Hydrogen is driven out of the melt, and then the quasi-cylindrical pores normal to the solidif ication front are usually formed. In the research, the effects of processing parameters(saturation pressure, solidif ication pressure, temperature, and holding time) on the pore structure and porosity of porous aluminum alloys were analyzed. The mechanical properties of Al-Mg alloys were studied by the compressive tests, and the advantages of the porous structure were indicated. By using the GASAR method, pure aluminum, Al-3wt.%Mg, Al-6wt.%Mg and Al-35wt.%Mg alloys with oriented pores have been successfully produced under processing conditions of varying gas pressure, and the relationship between the f inal pore structure and the solidif ication pressure, as well as the inf luences of Mg quantity on the pore size, porosity and mechanical properties of AlMg alloy were investigated. The results show that a higher pressure of solidif ication tends to yield smaller pores in aluminum and its alloys. In the case of Al-Mg alloys, it was proved that with the increasing of Mg amount, the mechanical properties of the alloys sharply deteriorate. However, since Al-3%Mg and Al-6wt.%Mg alloys are ductile metals, their porous samples have greater compressive strength than that of the dense samples due to the existence of pores. It gives the opportunity to use them in industry at the same conditions as dense alloys with savings in weight and material consumption.

Comparison of nickle release and cytocompatibility between porous and dense NiTi alloy

The porous NiTi(pNiTi)samples were produced by sintering evaporation using Ti−50.8Ni(at.%)gasatomized powders.The samples were analyzed by metallographic microscope and X-ray dispersive spectroscopy(XRD).A comparison of nickel(Ni)release and cytocompatibility between pNiTi and dense NiTi(dNiTi)was made.The results showed that the pNiTi has good mechanical properties.Ni releases from pNiTi in vitro and in vivo are more serious than those form dNiTi.The proliferation and differentiation of cells cultured with the pNiTi extracting liquid are significantly worse,and the rate of early apoptosis is higher.In conclusion,pNiTi is mechanically similar to bone,but pNiTi releases more Ni and interferes with cell proliferation and differentiation.A significantly cautious approach should be adopted when using it as a medical implant.

Effects of Mg content on pore structure and electrochemical corrosion behaviors of porous Al-Mg alloys

Porous Al-Mg alloys with different nominal compositions were successfully fabricated via elemental powder reactive synthesis, and the phase composition, pore structure, and corrosion resistance were characterized with X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscope and electrochemical analyzer. The volume expansion ratio, open porosity and corrosion resistance in 3.5%(mass fraction) Na Cl aqueous solution of the alloys increase at first and then decrease with the increase of Mg content. The maxima of volume expansion ratio and open porosity are 18.3% and 28.1% for the porous Al-56%Mg(mass fraction) alloy, while there is the best corrosion resistance for the porous Al-37.5% Mg(mass fraction) alloy. The pore formation mechanism can be explained by Kirkendall effect, and the corrosion resistance can be mainly affected by the phase composition for the porous Al-Mg alloys. They would be of the potential application for filtration in the chloride environment.

Influence of Ti Powder Characteristics on Combustion Synthesis of Porous NiTi Alloy

Porous NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) is a novel biomedical material used for human hard tissue implant. The influence of elemental titanium powder characteristics such as powder morphology, particle size and specific surface area (SSA) on the minimal ignition temperature, combustion temperature and final product of porous NiTi SMA fabricated by combustion synthesis method was investigated in this paper by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and laser diffraction. The preliminary data indicated that the titanium powder characteristics had a strong effect on combustion synthesis of porous NiTi SMA.

Preparation and Characterization of Novel Porous Fe-Si Alloys

Porous Fe-Sialloys with different nominalcompositions ranging from Fe-10wt% Sito Fe-50wt% Siwere fabricated through a reactive synthesis of Fe and Sielementalpowder mixtures.The effects of Sicontents on the pore structure of porous Fe-Sialloy were investigated in detail.The results showed that the open porosity,gas permeability and maximum pore size of the porous Fe-Sialloys increased with increasing Sicontents,indicating that the porosity and pore size can be tailored by changing the Sicontents.The pore structure parameter including the open porosity,gas permeability,maximum pore size obeyed the HagenPoiseuille formula with the constant G=0.035 m^（-1_Pa^（-1）s^（-1） for the reactively synthesized porous Fe-Sialloys.The mechanicalproperty of the porous Fe-Sialloys showed applicability in the filtration industries.

Enhancing the electrochemical performance of Na metal anodes via local eutectic melting in porous Al-Cu alloy hosts

Sodium(Na)metal batteries(SMBs)have emerged as promising alternatives to lithium metal batteries for large-scale energy storage applications,owing to their cost-effectiveness,abundance,and favorable redox potential.However,the practical implementation of SMBs faces several challenges associated with the Na metal anode,including the formation of dendrites,low Coulombic efficiency,and capacity fading.Here,we propose a novel approach to enhance the electrochemical performance of Na metal anodes through a porous Al-Cu alloy host(PAC)fabricated by a local eutectic melting engineering.The local eutectic melting facilitates the development of a conductive network,offering mechanical support,and the porous structure provides abundant channels for the diffusion of Na ions and accommodates volume fluctuations in the Na metal during charge–discharge cycling.Moreover,the PAC exhibits a high average Coulombic efficiency of 99.8%at 1 mA·cm^(−2)for 1 mAh·cm^(−2)and a low voltage polarization of 19 mV during 500 cycles.This study provides valuable insight into the design and fabrication of highperformance Na metal anodes,which hold significant promise for the advancements of next-generation energy storage systems.

Effects of alkali and heat treatment on strength of porous Ti35Nb

Porous Ti35Nb alloy with a porosity of 66% was made by a powder metallurgical method, and then it was treated by a standard treatment for activating the surface of Ti implant materials involving alkali and heat treatment. The alkali and heat treatment causes damages of the struts of the porous Ti35Nb in the form of reaction products layer, grain-pullout and cracks. Consequently, it leads to a significant degradation of the strength of the porous alloy. The effect of the alkali and heat treatment on the strength of the porous alloy was discussed.

A magnetic field strategy to porous Pt-Ni nanoparticles with predominant (111) facets for enhanced electrocatalytic oxygen reduction

For the first time, we developed porous Pt-Ni alloying nanoparticles with predominant(111) facets under intense magnetic fields. Electrochemical analysis revealed that the Pt-Ni alloying nanoparticles obtained at 2 Tesla exhibited a superior catalytic activity and durability for oxygen reduction reaction. This work demonstrated that the imposition of intense magnetic field could be considered as a new approach for developing efficient alloying electrocatalysts with preferential facets.

SIMULATION OF LIQUID ALUMINIUM INFILTRATION IN POROUS MEDIUM

Based on the principle of infiltration mechanics in porous medium, high Reynolds number infiltration of liquid aluminum in porous medium has been investigated. Combined with the test results of hydraulic simulation, the mathematical model of the high Reynolds number infiltration of liquid aluminum in porous medium has been established, and it is found that infiltration is characterized by its second order nonlinear. The calculated results based on the model are in good agreement with those of the hydraulic simulation and the aluminum alloy infiltration. The way of high speed infiltration under medium pressure has been put forward to fabricate porous aluminum alloy with thin holes of 0.4mm diameter.

Porosity of porous Al alloys

Two porosity models of porous Al alloys with different pore types (ball and polygon shape) were established. The experimental results coincide well with theoretical computations. The porosity of Al alloys (Prc) consists of three parts, porosity caused by preform particles (Prp), additional porosity (Pra), and porosity caused by solidification shrinkage (Prs). Prp is the main part of Prc while Pra is the key for fabricating porous Al alloys successfully in spite of its little contribution to Prc.

Preparation and bioactive surface modification of the microwave sintered porous Ti-15Mo alloys for biomedical application

Biomedical porous Ti-15 Mo alloys were prepared by microwave sintering using ammonium hydrogen carbonate（NH4HCO3） as the space holder agent to adjust the porosity and mechanical properties. The porous Ti-15 Mo alloys are dominated by β-Ti phase with a little α-Ti phase, and the proportion of α and β phase has no significant difference as the NH4HCO3 content increases. The porosities and the average pore sizes of the porous Ti-15 Mo alloys increase with increase of the contents of NH4HCO3, while all of the compressive strength, elastic modulus and bending strength decrease. However, the compressive strength, bending strength and the elastic modulus are higher or close to those of natural bone. The surface of the porous Ti-15 Mo alloy was further modified by hydrothermal treatment, after which Na2Ti6O13 layers with needle and flake-like clusters were formed on the outer and inner surface of the porous Ti-15 Mo alloy. The hydrothermally treated porous Ti-15 Mo alloy is completely covered by the Ca-deficient apatite layers after immersed in SBF solution for 14 d, indicating that it possesses high apatiteforming ability and bioactivity. These results demonstrate that the hydrothermally treated microwave sintered porous Ti-15 Mo alloys could be a promising candidate as the bone implant.

Potential Application of Entangled Porous Titanium Alloy Metal Rubber in Artificial Lumbar Disc Prostheses

Entangled Porous Titanium Alloy Metal Rubber(EPTA-MR)was used as a nucleus pulposus material in the design of non-fusion intervertebral disc prosthesis for the first time.A novel artificial lumbar intervertebral disc prosthesis was designed by reconstructing the lumbar model with reverse engineering technology,and the biomechanical behavior of the prosthesis was simulated under varied working conditions.The nucleus pulposus size was determined by the actual size of human prosthesis.EPTA-MR samples with different densities were prepared by medical titanium alloy wire experimental studies were conducted on static stiffness,damping energy consumption,and fatigue life.The results indicated that the static stiffness of EPTA-MR could reach approximately 1500 N mm and its loss factor remained higher than 0.2,and the variation range was relatively small,with excellent vibration damping capacity and bearing capacity.Among them,the overall performance of EPTA-MR with a density of 2.5 g em 3 was closer to that of the physiologic intervertebral disc.A macro experiment of five million fatigue vibration tests combined with microstructure observation exhibited a wear rate of only 0.9396 g-MC with no noticeable change in the internal micro-morphology.Therefore,the EPTA-MR has a broad application prospect as the nucleus pulposus material of artificial intervertebral disc prosthesis.