Grain boundary pseudopartial wetting

Usually one distinguishes partial and complete wetting of surfaces or interfaces. In case of partial wetting contact angle θ > 0 and the liquid droplet is surrounded by “dry” surface or interface. In the majority of cases the direct transition occurs from partial wetting into complete wetting, for example by increasing temperature or decreasing pressure. However, in some cases the state of pseudopartial wetting occurs between partial and complete wetting. In this case the contact angle θ > 0, the liquid droplet does not spread over the substrate, but the thin (few nm) precursor film exists around the droplet and separates substrate and gas. Such precursor film is very similar for the liquid “pancake” in case of complete wetting and deficit of the liquid phase. The pseudopartial wetting has been observed before only for liquid/liquid mixtures (alcanes/water solution of salt or glucose) or Pb and Bi on the Cu surface. We observed the pseudopartial wetting of Al/Al grain boundaries (GBs) by solid Zn in the Al – 10 wt.% Zn ultra-fine grained polycrystals. The solid Zn partially wets Al/Al GBs (with non-zero contact angle). Nevertheless, the Al/Al GBs contain the 2 nm thin uniform Zn-rich layer connected with Zn grains. Such thin layers are the reason of high ductility of ultra-fine grained Al–Zn alloys at room temperature. This phenomenon opens the way for development of novel light-weight alloys. The pseudopartieal GB wetting by a liquid phase exists also in the WC–Co hard alloys. The pseudopartieal GB wetting by various liquid and solid phases also controls the properties of Nd–Fe–B-based hard magnetic alloys

Grain boundary oxide layers in NdFeB-based permanent magnets

The microstructure of grain boundaries (GBs) in the commercial NdFeB-based alloy for permanent magnets has been studied. It is generally accepted that the unique hard magnetic properties of such alloys are controlled by the thin layers of a Nd-rich phase in Nd$_{2}$Fe$_{14}$B/Nd$_{2}$Fe$_{14}$B GBs. These GB layers ensure the magnetic isolation of Nd$_{2}$Fe$_{14}$B grains from each other. It is usually supposed that such GB layers contain metallic Nd or Nd-rich intermetallic compounds. However, the commercial NdFeB-based permanent magnets frequently contain a tangible amount of neodymium oxide Nd$_{2}$O$_{3}$ at the triple junctions between Nd$_{2}$Fe$_{14}$B grains. The goal of this work was to check whether the Nd$_{2}$Fe$_{14}$B/Nd$_{2}$Fe$_{14}$B GBs could also contain the thin layers of Nd$_{2}$O$_{3}$ oxide phase. Indeed, the screening with EELS-based elemental analysis permitted to observe that some of these Nd-rich layers in Nd$_{2}$Fe$_{14}$B/Nd$_{2}$Fe$_{14}$B GBs contain not only neodymium, but also oxygen. More detailed analysis of such GBs with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR TEM) showed these GB layers are crystalline and have the lattice of neodymium oxide Nd$_{2}$O$_{3}$. In turn, the Lorentz micro-magnetic contrast in TEM permitted to observe that the Nd-oxide GB layers prevent the migration of domain walls from one Nd$_{2}$Fe$_{14}$B grain to another during remagnetization. This finding proves that the GB oxide layers, similar to those of metallic Nd or Nd-rich intermetallic compounds, can ensure the magnetic isolation between Nd$_{2}$Fe$_{14}$B grains needed for high coercivity. Therefore, the GB oxide layers can be used for further development of NdFeB-based permanent magnets

Wetting of grain boundaries in ultrafine-grained copper by liquid bismuth

In the present work, we studied the effect of liquid Bi on the microstructure evolution of ultrafinegrained Cu at elevated temperatures

Structure Refinement and Fragmentation of Precipitates under Severe Plastic Deformation: A Review

During severe plastic deformation (SPD), the processes of lattice defect formation as well as their relaxation (annihilation) compete with each other. As a result, a dynamic equilibrium is established, and a steady state is reached after a certain strain value. Simultaneously, other kinetic processes act in opposite directions and also compete with each other during SPD, such as grain refinement/growth, mechanical strengthening/softening, formation/decomposition of solid solution, etc. These competing processes also lead to dynamic equilibrium and result in a steady state (saturation), albeit after different strains. Among these steady-state phenomena, particle fragmentation during the second phase of SPD has received little attention. Available data indicate that precipitate fragmentation slows down with increasing strain, though saturation is achieved at higher strains than in the case of hardness or grain size. Moreover, one can consider the SPD-driven nanocrystallization in the amorphous phase as a process that is opposite to the fragmentation of precipitates. The size of these crystalline nanoprecipitates also saturates after a certain strain. The fragmentation of precipitates during SPD is the topic of this review

Ferromagnetic behaviour of ZnO: The role of grain boundaries

The possibility to attain ferromagnetic properties in transparent semiconductor oxides such as ZnO is very promising for future spintronic applications. We demonstrate in this review that ferromagnetism is not an intrinsic property of the ZnO crystalline lattice but is that of ZnO/ZnO grain boundaries. If a ZnO polycrystal contains enough grain boundaries, it can transform into the ferromagnetic state even without doping with “magnetic atoms” such as Mn, Co, Fe or Ni. However, such doping facilitates the appearance of ferromagnetism in ZnO. It increases the saturation magnetisation and decreases the critical amount of grain boundaries needed for FM. A drastic increase of the total solubility of dopants in ZnO with decreasing grain size has been also observed. It is explained by the multilayer grain boundary segregation

Grain Boundary Wetting by a Second Solid Phase in the High Entropy Alloys: A Review

In this review, the phenomenon of grain boundary (GB) wetting by the second solid phase is analyzed for the high entropy alloys (HEAs). Similar to the GB wetting by the liquid phase, the GB wetting by the second solid phase can be incomplete (partial) or complete. In the former case, the second solid phase forms in the GB of a matrix, the chain of (usually lenticular) precipitates with a certain non-zero contact angle. In the latter case, it forms in the GB continuous layers between matrix grains which completely separate the matrix crystallites. The GB wetting by the second solid phase can be observed in HEAs produced by all solidification-based technologies. The particle chains or continuous layers of a second solid phase form in GBs also without the mediation of a liquid phase, for example by solid-phase sintering or coatings deposition. To describe the GB wetting by the second solid phase, the new GB tie-lines should be considered in the two- or multiphase areas in the multicomponent phase diagrams for HEAs. The GB wetting by the second solid phase can be used to improve the properties of HEAs by applying the so-called grain boundary engineering methods.This research was funded by the Russian Ministry Of Science And Higher Education (contract no. 075-15-2021-945 grant no. 13.2251.21.0013). Support from the University of the Basque Country under the GIU19/019 project is also acknowledged

High Entropy Alloys Coatings Deposited by Laser Cladding: A Review of Grain Boundary Wetting Phenomena

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are called also alloys without a main component or multiprincipal alloys. They consist of five, six or more components in more or less equal proportions and possess unique properties. Several dozens of thousands of publications have already been devoted to bulk HEAs, while HEA coatings are just beginning to develop. More than half of the works on the deposition of HEA coatings are devoted to laser cladding. In the laser cladding process, a mixture of powders on a substrate is melted in a focused laser beam, which sequentially scans the substrate. In the heated zone, the powder mixture melts. At the end of the crystallization process, a solidified polycrystal and a small amount of residual melt are found in the heated zone. It is possible that the grain boundaries (GBs) in the solidified polycrystal are incompletely or fully wetted by this liquid phase. In this way, the GB wetting with a melt determines the morphology and microstructure of HEAs coatings. This review analyzes GB wetting in single-phase HEAs, as well as in HEAs containing two or more phases. We analyze how the HEAs’ composition, laser scanning speed, laser beam power, external magnetic field or ultrasonic impact affect the microstructure and GB wetting. It is also shown how the microstructure and GB wetting change over the thickness of the rather thick as well as multilayer coatings deposited using a laser cladding.This research was funded by the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education (contract no. 075-15-2021-945 grant no. 13.2251.21.0013) Support from the University of the Basque Country under the GIU19/019 project is also acknowledged

The Grain Boundary Wetting Phenomena in the Ti-Containing High-Entropy Alloys: A Review

In this review, the phenomenon of grain boundary (GB) wetting by melt is analyzed for multicomponent alloys without principal components (also called high-entropy alloys or HEAs) containing titanium. GB wetting can be complete or partial. In the former case, the liquid phase forms the continuous layers between solid grains and completely separates them. In the latter case of partial GB wetting, the melt forms the chain of droplets in GBs, with certain non-zero contact angles. The GB wetting phenomenon can be observed in HEAs produced by all solidification-based technologies. GB leads to the appearance of novel GB tie lines Twmin and Twmax in the multicomponent HEA phase diagrams. The so-called grain-boundary engineering of HEAs permits the use of GB wetting to improve the HEAs’ properties or, alternatively, its exclusion if the GB layers of a second phase are detrimental.This research was funded by the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education (contract no. 075-15-2021-945 grant no. 13.2251.21.0013). Support from the University of the Basque Country under the GIU19/019 project is also acknowledged

Severe Plastic Deformation and Phase Transformations in High Entropy Alloys: A Review

This review discusses an area of expertise that is at the intersection of three large parts of materials science. These are phase transformations, severe plastic deformation (SPD), and high-entropy alloys (HEA). First, SPD makes it possible to determine the borders of single-phase regions of existence of a multicomponent solid solution in HEAs. An important feature of SPD is that using these technologies, it is possible to obtain second-phase nanoparticles included in a matrix with a grain size of several tens of nanometers. Such materials have a very high specific density of internal boundaries. These boundaries serve as pathways for accelerated diffusion. As a result of the annealing of HEAs subjected to SPD, it is possible to accurately determine the border temperature of a single-phase solid solution area on the multicomponent phase diagram of the HEA. Secondly, SPD itself induces phase transformations in HEAs. Among these transformations is the decomposition of a single-phase solid solution with the formation of nanoparticles of the second phase, the formation of high-pressure phases, amorphization, as well as spinodal decomposition. Thirdly, during SPD, a large number of new grain boundaries (GBs) are formed due to the crystallites refinement. Segregation layers exist at these new GBs. The concentration of the components in GBs differs from that in the bulk solid solution. As a result of the formation of a large number of new GBs, atoms leave the bulk solution and form segregation layers. Thus, the composition of the solid solution in the volume also changes. All these processes make it possible to purposefully influence the composition, structure and useful properties of HEAs, especially for medical applications