Inoculating solid-state homogeneous precipitation by impurity atoms through a spinodal decomposition like pathway

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Pan, Shiwei, Li, Chunan, Søreide, Hanne-Sofie, Zhao, Dongdong, Hatzoglou, Constantinos, Qian, Feng, Chen, Long-Qing, Li, Yanjun
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Pan, Shiwei
Li, Chunan
Søreide, Hanne-Sofie
Zhao, Dongdong
Hatzoglou, Constantinos
Qian, Feng
Chen, Long-Qing
Li, Yanjun
author_facet Pan, Shiwei
Li, Chunan
Søreide, Hanne-Sofie
Zhao, Dongdong
Hatzoglou, Constantinos
Qian, Feng
Chen, Long-Qing
Li, Yanjun
contents Solid-state homogeneous precipitation of nano-sized precipitates is one of the most effective processes to strengthen metal alloys, where the final density and size distribution of precipitates are largely controlled by the precipitation kinetics. Here, we report a strategy to inoculate the homogeneous precipitation of coherent precipitates to enhance the precipitation strengthening. Using the technologically important dilute Al-Zr alloys as an example, we demonstrate that an addition of a trace level of economical and readily available, non-L1$_{2}$ phase forming impurity atoms, X (X= Sn, Sb, Bi or Cd) and Si, can significantly enhance the diffusivity of Zr atoms and overturn the precipitation of L1$_{2}$-structured Al$_{3}$Zr nanoparticles from the classical homogeneous nucleation and growth pathway into a nonclassical nucleation pathway: Al$_{3}$Zr forms through the spontaneous formation of nano-scale local concentration fluctuations of Zr atoms on Zr-X(-Si)-vacancy clusters followed by a continuous increase of the concentration and chemical short-range ordering (CSRO). Such an impurity atoms induced heterogeneous nucleation based on a "spinodal decomposition like" mechanism dramatically accelerates the precipitation kinetics, leading to an order of magnitude higher number density of precipitates and a record high hardening efficiency of solute Zr atoms. By formulating the generalized selection principles for inoculating impurity elements, this inoculation strategy should be extendable to a broader range of materials to further explore the precipitation strengthening potentials.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2407_07404
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Inoculating solid-state homogeneous precipitation by impurity atoms through a spinodal decomposition like pathway
Pan, Shiwei
Li, Chunan
Søreide, Hanne-Sofie
Zhao, Dongdong
Hatzoglou, Constantinos
Qian, Feng
Chen, Long-Qing
Li, Yanjun
Materials Science
Solid-state homogeneous precipitation of nano-sized precipitates is one of the most effective processes to strengthen metal alloys, where the final density and size distribution of precipitates are largely controlled by the precipitation kinetics. Here, we report a strategy to inoculate the homogeneous precipitation of coherent precipitates to enhance the precipitation strengthening. Using the technologically important dilute Al-Zr alloys as an example, we demonstrate that an addition of a trace level of economical and readily available, non-L1$_{2}$ phase forming impurity atoms, X (X= Sn, Sb, Bi or Cd) and Si, can significantly enhance the diffusivity of Zr atoms and overturn the precipitation of L1$_{2}$-structured Al$_{3}$Zr nanoparticles from the classical homogeneous nucleation and growth pathway into a nonclassical nucleation pathway: Al$_{3}$Zr forms through the spontaneous formation of nano-scale local concentration fluctuations of Zr atoms on Zr-X(-Si)-vacancy clusters followed by a continuous increase of the concentration and chemical short-range ordering (CSRO). Such an impurity atoms induced heterogeneous nucleation based on a "spinodal decomposition like" mechanism dramatically accelerates the precipitation kinetics, leading to an order of magnitude higher number density of precipitates and a record high hardening efficiency of solute Zr atoms. By formulating the generalized selection principles for inoculating impurity elements, this inoculation strategy should be extendable to a broader range of materials to further explore the precipitation strengthening potentials.
title Inoculating solid-state homogeneous precipitation by impurity atoms through a spinodal decomposition like pathway
topic Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.07404