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Design of compositionally modulated materials for controlled strain release during deformation through phase-field simulations

  • Phase-Field Method and Its Applications
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Abstract

Impurity segregation and solute partitioning, which can lead to microscale concentration modulations (microCMs), are common phenomena in materials processed through various methods. Traditionally, these microCMs have been viewed as undesirable, necessitating costly homogenization treatments for their removal. However, in this study, we introduce an innovative alloy design strategy that capitalizes on the potential benefits offered by microCMs, as revealed through phase-field simulations. The majority of our simulation predictions have received strong support from experimental investigations, and these predictions have guided the development of new experimental designs for microCM alloys with exceptional properties. We highlight two notable examples. The first example demonstrates how microCMs can be strategically employed to regulate martensitic transformations, transforming them from typical sharp first-order transitions into broadly smeared continuous transitions. This modification results in quasi-linear superelasticity with an exceptionally low apparent Young’s modulus, as well as Invar and Elinvar anomalies. The second example showcases how microCMs can be harnessed to activate various solid-state phase-transformation mechanisms in distinct locations, including congruent transformation, pseudospinodal decomposition, and nucleation-and-growth, leading to microstructurally modulated materials with excellent comprehensive mechanical properties. These studies challenge the conventional view of microCMs as unwanted byproducts, demonstrating their potential as a valuable resource for designing alloys with outstanding characteristics.

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Acknowledgments

Y.W. acknowledges the support from the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DMR-2333551. D.W. acknowledges the support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (Grant Nos. 52171012 and 51931004), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2021YFB3702603), and 111 project (BP2018008). J.Z. acknowledges the support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 12372152), Qilu Young Talent Program of Shandong University, Zhejiang Lab Open Research Project (No. K2022PE0AB05), and Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation (ZR2023MA058) and Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (No. 2023A1515011819, 2024A1515012469). T.Z. acknowledges the support R9892 startup funding from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Funding

Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DMR-2333551 (Y.W.), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 52171012, 51931004, and 12372152) (D.W.), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 12372152), the support R9892 startup funding from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (T.L.Z.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Frontier Institute of Science and Technology, State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China

    Dong Wang

  2. School of Civil Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, China

    Jiaming Zhu

  3. Institute of Materials Intelligent Technology, Liaoning Academy of Materials, Shenyang, China

    Jiaming Zhu

  4. Shenzhen Research Institute of Shandong University, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China

    Jiaming Zhu

  5. Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China

    Tianlong Zhang

  6. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA

    Yunzhi Wang

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  1. Dong Wang
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Y.W. designed this paper, and all authors contributed to the writing and revision of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Yunzhi Wang.

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Wang, D., Zhu, J., Zhang, T. et al. Design of compositionally modulated materials for controlled strain release during deformation through phase-field simulations. MRS Bulletin (2024). https://doi.org/10.1557/s43577-024-00721-w

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