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Investigating the Static Recrystallization Behavior of 22MnB5 Manganese–Boron Steel through Stress Relaxation Analysis
A constitutive model was developed to characterize the static recrystallization (SRX) and evolution of the grain size of the industrially relevant press-hardening steel, 22MnB5, subsequent to the hot forming of sheet metal. Isothermal stress relaxation tests were conducted using the BAEHR 805 A/D thermomechanical simulator, encompassing a temperature range of 950 to 1050 °C, prestrain levels ranging from 0.01 to 0.1, and strain rates spanning from 0.01 to 0.8 s−1. The results obtained from the isothermal stress relaxation tests facilitated the formulation of an Avrami equation-based model, which aptly describes the kinetics of SRX in relation to the temperature, prestrain, and strain rate. Notably, an increase in temperature led to accelerated recrystallization kinetics, signifying temperature-dependent behavior. When the temperature increased from 950 to 1050 °C, the recrystallization time was reduced to approximately one-third. Additionally, the prestrain exhibited a positive influence on the acceleration of SRX kinetics. A quintupling of the prestrain from 0.01 to 0.05 resulted in a reduction of the static recrystallization duration to approximately one-fifth. Among the parameters studied, the strain rate had the least impact on the SRX kinetics, as doubling the strain rate from 0.01 to 0.8 only resulted in a halving of the recrystallization duration. Moreover, an analysis of the microstructural evolution in response to the forming parameters was undertaken. While the grain-size investigation post-isothermal stress relaxation tests provided results in line with the SRX kinetics calculations, the observed effects were comparatively subdued. Furthermore, a comprehensive examination was conducted using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis, aiming to explore the effects of specific stress relaxation states on the morphology of martensite. The findings reveal fully recrystallized globulitic microstructures, characterized by relatively minor differences among them.
Acid Treatments of Ti-Based Metallic Glasses for Improving Corrosion Resistance in Implant Applications
Ti-based bulk metallic glasses are promising materials for metallic bone implants, mainly due to their mechanical biofunctionality. A major drawback is their limited corrosion resistance, with high sensitivity to pitting. Thus, effective surface treatments for these alloys must be developed. This work investigates the electrochemical treatment feasibility of nitric acid (HNO3) solution for two bulk glass-forming alloys. The surface states obtained at different anodic potentials are characterized with electron microscopy and Auger electron spectroscopy. The corrosion behavior of the treated glassy alloys is analyzed via comparison to non-treated states in phosphate-buffered saline solution (PBS) at 37 °C. For the glassy Ti47Zr7.5Cu38Fe2.5Sn2Si1Ag2 alloy, the pre-treatment causes pseudo-dealloying, with a transformation from naturally passivated surfaces to Ti- and Zr-oxide nanoporous layers and Cu-species removal from the near-surface regions. This results in effective suppression of chloride-induced pitting in PBS. The glassy Ti40Zr10Cu34Pd14Sn2 alloy shows lower free corrosion activity in HNO3 and PBS due to Pd stabilizing its strong passivity. However, this alloy undergoes pitting under anodic conditions. Surface pre-treatment results in Cu depletion but causes enrichment of Pd species and non-homogeneous surface oxidation. Therefore, for this glassy alloy, pitting cannot be completely inhibited in PBS. Concluding, anodic treatments in HNO3 are more suitable for Pd-free glassy Ti-based alloys.
Mechanism of Skyrmion Attraction in Chiral Magnets near the Ordering Temperatures.
Isolated chiral skyrmions are investigated within the phenomenological Dzyaloshinskii model near the ordering temperatures of quasi-two-dimensional chiral magnets with Cnv symmetry and three-dimensional cubic helimagnets. In the former case, isolated skyrmions (IS) perfectly blend into the homogeneously magnetized state. The interaction between these particle-like states, being repulsive in a broad low-temperature (LT) range, is found to switch into attraction at high temperatures (HT). This leads to a remarkable confinement effect: near the ordering temperature, skyrmions exist only as bound states. This is a consequence of the coupling between the magnitude and the angular part of the order parameter, which becomes pronounced at HT. The nascent conical state in bulk cubic helimagnets, on the contrary, is shown to shape skyrmion internal structure and to substantiate the attraction between them. Although the attracting skyrmion interaction in this case is explained by the reduction of the total pair energy due to the overlap of skyrmion shells, which are circular domain boundaries with the positive energy density formed with respect to the surrounding host phase, additional magnetization "ripples" at the skyrmion outskirt may lead to attraction also at larger length scales. The present work provides fundamental insights into the mechanism for complex mesophase formation near the ordering temperatures and constitutes a first step to explain the phenomenon of multifarious precursor effects in that temperature region.
Topology- and Geometry-Controlled Functionalization of Nanostructured Metamaterials
[no abstract available]
Surface Modified β-Ti-18Mo-6Nb-5Ta (wt%) Alloy for Bone Implant Applications: Composite Characterization and Cytocompatibility Assessment
Commercially available titanium alloys such as Ti-6Al-4V are established in clinical use as load-bearing bone implant materials. However, concerns about the toxic effects of vanadium and aluminum have prompted the development of Al- and V-free β-Ti alloys. Herein, a new alloy composed of non-toxic elements, namely Ti-18Mo-6Nb-5Ta (wt%), has been fabricated by arc melting. The resulting single β-phase alloy shows improved mechanical properties (Young’s modulus and hardness) and similar corrosion behavior in simulated body fluid when compared with commercial Ti-6Al-4V. To increase the cell proliferation capability of the new biomaterial, the surface of Ti-18Mo-6Nb-5Ta was modified by electrodepositing calcium phosphate (CaP) ceramic layers. Coatings with a Ca/P ratio of 1.47 were obtained at pulse current densities, −jc, of 1.8–8.2 mA/cm2, followed by 48 h of NaOH post-treatment. The thickness of the coatings has been measured by scanning electron microscopy from an ion beam cut, resulting in an average thickness of about 5 μm. Finally, cytocompatibility and cell adhesion have been evaluated using the osteosarcoma cell line Saos-2, demonstrating good biocompatibility and enhanced cell proliferation on the CaP-modified Ti-18Mo-6Nb-5Ta material compared with the bare alloy, even outperforming their CaP-modified Ti-6-Al-4V counterparts.
Two-Dimensional Discommensurations: An Extension to McMillan’s Ginzburg–Landau Theory
Charge density waves (CDWs) profoundly affect the electronic properties of materials and have an intricate interplay with other collective states, like superconductivity and magnetism. The well-known macroscopic Ginzburg–Landau theory stands out as a theoretical method for describing CDW phenomenology without requiring a microscopic description. In particular, it has been instrumental in understanding the emergence of domain structures in several CDW compounds, as well as the influence of critical fluctuations and the evolution towards or across lock-in transitions. In this context, McMillan’s foundational work introduced discommensurations as the objects mediating the transition from commensurate to incommensurate CDWs, through an intermediate nearly commensurate phase characterised by an ordered array of phase slips. Here, we extended the simplified, effectively one-dimensional, setting of the original model to a fully two-dimensional analysis. We found exact and numerical solutions for several types of discommensuration patterns and provide a framework for consistently describing multi-component CDWs embedded in quasi-two-dimensional atomic lattices.