Site preference of transition-metal elements in B2 NiAl: A comprehensive study

First-principles supercell calculations based on density functional theory were performed to study the T = 0 K site preference of 3d (Ti–Cu), 4d (Zr–Ag) and 5d (Hf–Au) transition-metal elements in B2 NiAl. By adopting a statistical-mechanical Wagner–Schottky model within the canonical ensemble, the effects of finite temperature on site preference were further considered. The calculations showed that, at all alloy compositions and temperatures, Co, Tc, Ru, Rh, Re, Os, Ir and Pt have a consistent preference for the Ni sublattice, while Ti, Zr, Nb, Hf and Ta have a consistent preference for the Al sublattice. In contrast, the site preference of V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Mo, Pd, Ag, W and Au was found to depend on both composition and temperature. The present calculated results compare favorably with existing theoretical and experimental studies in the literature.     

Site preference of early transition metal elements in C15 NbCr2

The site preference of early 3d (Ti, V), 4d (Zr, Mo) and 5d (Hf, Ta, W) transition metal elements in C15 NbCr₂ Laves phase was studied using first-principles calculations. According to the present calculations, at T = 0 K, Zr, Hf and Ta consistently have a preference for the Nb sites in Nb-rich, Cr-rich and stoichiometric NbCr₂, while the site preference of Ti, V, Mo and W varies strongly with alloy composition. Using a statistical–mechanical Wagner–Schottky model based on the canonical ensemble, the finite temperature site occupancy behavior of those transition metal elements in NbCr₂ was further predicted. It was found that the site preference of Ti, V, Mo and W also depends strongly on temperature. The calculated results compare favorably with the experimental measurements using ALCHEMI and synchrotron X-ray diffraction techniques.     

L12型Co3Ti基金属间化合物有序化行为的热力学研究

采用亚晶格模型,辅助以第一性原理总能计算,研究了L12结构的Co3Ti基金属间化合物中元素的占位有序化行为。结果表明,Co3Ti化学计量比合金呈现完全有序化;对于xCo/xTi为3:1的Co72Ti24M4合金,第3合金组元M为Si或Ta时,M与Ti共同占据1a位置,M为Cu、Ni、Pd、Rh、V或W时,M与Co占据3c位置,而当M为Al、Cr、Ge、Mn、Sc或Y时,M在1a和3c位置的占位分数相同,这些元素的占位行为均不受温度影响;而当M为Fe、Hf、Mo、Nb、Ru和Zr的占位情况随温度发生变化。随原子核外层电子的增加,原子占位逐渐倾向于从1a亚晶格转向3c位置。亦预测了xCo/xTi偏离3:1的部分合金的占位分数随合金成分和温度的变化细节,预测结果与文献进行了比较,并澄清了文献上的分歧     

Phase stability and site preference of the disordered TbCu7-type compound PrCo7−xTx (T = Ti, Zr, Hf, Cu)

The phase stability, lattice constants and site preference of the disordered TbCu₇-type rare-earth intermetallic compound PrCo_7−xT_x (T = Ti, Zr, Hf, Cu) are studied via interatomic pair potentials based on Chen's lattice inversion method. The results show that the ternary element T (T = Ti, Zr, Hf) can decrease the internal energy and stabilize the PrCo₇ structure. The calculations also show that the T atoms preferentially occupy the 2e sites. The calculated lattice parameters and site preference are in agreement with the experimental data. The results indicate that the interatomic pair potentials are valid for studying some structural properties of the disordered intermetallics.     

First principles study of site substitution of ternary elements in NiAl

Site substitution of ternary elements in ordered compounds influences the electronic structure and hence the properties of compounds at the continuous level. The electronic structure and binding energy of a number of NiAl-X alloy systems (X=Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta, W, Si, Ga, or Ge) were calculated using the discrete variational cluster method based on the local density approximation of the density functional theory. The site preference of the ternary additions to NiAl was investigated by employing the Bragg–Williams model to analyse the calculated binding energy. The results show that all the considered ternary elements possess stronger preference to the Al sublattice sites than a Ni atom does. A new method of identifying sublattice substitution of ternary additions in NiAl was proposed by comparison of the binding energies per atom of the ternary and the binary clusters involving the fourth nearest neighbours. The analysis suggests that Fe and Co atoms occupy the Ni sublattice sites, whereas Si, Ga and Ti atoms occupy the Al sublattice sites. The remaining elements may substitute for both sublattices: Mn is most likely to go for the Ni sublattice; V, Cr, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta, W and Ge have a larger preference for the Al sublattice, but Cr and W do not show significant preference to any sublattice. The densities of states involving alloying additions of Co, Si and Cr were further investigated to clarify the site preference of the alloying additions.     

First-principles calculations of structural energetics of Cu–TM (TM = Ti,Zr, Hf) intermetallics

A systematic and comprehensive study of cohesive properties of Cu–TM (TM = Ti, Zr, Hf) intermetallics is carried out using a first-principles method. Specifically, the total energies and equilibrium cohesive properties of 95 intermetallics in the Cu–TM (TM = Ti, Zr, Hf) systems are calculated employing electronic density-functional theory (DFT), ultrasoft pseudopotentials and the generalized gradient approximation for the exchange-correlation energy. The intermetallic phases considered in our first-principles investigation are classified as stable, metastable and virtual types. The concentration dependence of the heat of formation (ΔE_f) in the Cu–Ti system is only slightly asymmetric, while in the Cu–Zr and Cu–Hf systems they are distinctly asymmetric, being skewed towards the Cu-rich side with a minimum in ΔE_f at Cu₁₀TM₇. Based on the observed differences between ab initio and calorimetric heat of formation, we conclude that additional careful experiments are needed to validate ab initio alloy energetics. We also note that the calphad model parameters representing alloy energetics vary significantly from one assessment to another in these systems. For the stable intermetallics, the calculated zero-temperature lattice parameters agree to within ±1% of experimental data at ambient temperature. For the stable phases with unit cell-internal degree(s) of freedom, the results of ab initio calculations show a good agreement when such data are available from X-ray and other diffraction results. For intermetallic compounds where no such experimental data are available, we provide optimized unit cell geometries which may be verified in future experiments. For most structures we also provide zero-temperature bulk moduli and their pressure derivatives, as defined by the equation of state. The bonding between Cu and Zr is discussed based on the analyses of density of states and bonding charge densities in Cu₅Zr and CuZr.     

A first principles study of the influence of alloying elements on TiAl: site preference

The electronic structure and binding energy of a number of TiAl-X alloy systems (X=V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta, W, Ga, Ge, In or Sb) were calculated using the discrete variational cluster method, based on the local density approximation of the density functional theory. The site preference of the ternary additions to TiAl was investigated by means of the binding energy data and the Bragg–Williams model. The results showed that Y, Zr, Nb, Mo and Sb preferentially occupy the Ti sublattice sites, Ga and In occupy the Al sublattice sites, while V, Mn, Cr, Co and Ge may occupy either site, depending on the Ti/Al ratio. Investigation of the total and local densities of states for representative elements showed that the substitution behaviour of ternary additions in TiAl is determined by the electronic structure of the systems. The present predictions of the site preference of alloying elements in TiAl show good agreement with the most recent experimental findings.     

TEM study of structural and microstructural characteristics of a precipitate phase in Ni-rich Ni–Ti–Hf and Ni–Ti–Zr shape memory alloys

The precipitates formed after suitable thermal treatments in seven Ni-rich Ni–Ti–Hf and Ni–Ti–Zr high-temperature shape memory alloys have been investigated by conventional and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. In both ternary systems, the precipitate coarsening kinetics become faster as the Ni and ternary element contents (Hf or Zr) of the bulk alloy are increased, in agreement with the precipitate composition measured by energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis. The precipitate structure has been found to be the same in both Hf- and Zr-containing ternary alloys, and determined to be a superstructure of the B2 austenite phase, which arises from a recombination of the Hf/Zr and Ti atoms in their sublattice. Two different structural models for the precipitate phase were optimized using density functional theory methods. These calculations indicate that the energetics of the structure are not very sensitive to the atomic configuration of the Ti–Hf/Zr planes, thus significant configurational disorder due to entropic effects can be envisaged at high temperatures. The precipitates are fully coherent with the austenite B2 matrix; however, upon martensitic transformation, they lose some coherency with the B19′ matrix as a result of the transformation shear process in the surrounding matrix. The strain accommodation around the particles is much easier in the Ni–Ti–Zr-containing alloys than in the Ni–Ti–Hf system, which correlates well with the lower transformation strain and stiffness predicted for the Ni–Ti–Zr alloys. The B19′ martensite twinning modes observed in the studied Ni-rich ternary alloys are not changed by the new precipitated phase, being equivalent to those previously reported in Ni-poor ternary alloys.     

Dissolution and interfacial reactions of thin-film Ti/Ni/Ag metallizations in solder joints

The dissolution and interfacial reactions involving thin-film Ti/Ni/Ag metallizations on two semiconductor devices, diode and metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), a Sn–3.0Ag–0.7Cu solder, and a Au-layer on the substrates are studied. To simulate the dissolution kinetics of the Ag-layer in liquid solder during the reflow process, the computational thermodynamics (Thermo-Calc) and kinetics (DICTRA: DIffusion Controlled TRAnsformations) tools are employed in conjunction with the assessed thermochemical and mobility data. The simulated results are found to be consistent with the observed as-reflowed microstructures and the measured Ag contents in the solder. In the as-reflowed joints two different intermetallic compounds (IMC) are found near the diode/solder interface. Both are in the form of particles of different morphologies, not a continuous layer, and are referred to as IMC-I and IMC-II. The former corresponds to Ni₃Sn₄ with Cu atoms residing in the Ni sublattice. It is uncertain whether IMC-II is Cu₆Sn₅ phase with Ni atoms residing in the Cu sublattice or a Cu–Ni–Sn ternary phase. Near the as-reflowed MOSFET/solder interface, both particles and a skeleton-like layer of Ni₃Sn₄ are observed. The primary microstructural dynamics during solid state aging are the coarsening of IMC particles and the reactions involving the unconsumed (after reflow) Ni- and the Ti-layer with Sn and Au. While the reaction with the Ni-layer yields only Ni₃Sn₄ intermetallic, the reaction involving the Ti-layer suggests the formation of Ti–Sn and Au–Sn–Ti intermetallics. The latter is due to the diffusion of Au from the substrate side to the die side. It is postulated that the kinetics of Au–Sn–Ti layer is primarily governed by the diffusion of Au through the Ni₃Sn₄ layer by a grain boundary mechanism.     

The site occupancies of alloying elements in TiAl and Ti3Al alloys

The site occupancies of V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ta, Ga and Sn (1–5 at.%) in TiAl alloys with different compositions, and in Ti₃Al with the compositions of Ti–26 at.%Al–(1–2 at.%)X, were measured by the atom location channelling enhanced microanalysis (ALCHEMI) method. For TiAl alloys, the results show that Zr, Nb and Ta atoms invariably occupy Ti sites, while Fe, Ni, Ga and Sn atoms occupy Al sites, the alloy composition having no significant influence on their site preference. By contrast, the site preference of V, Cr, and Mn changes considerably with alloy composition (the Ti/Al ratio in particular), the probability of these elements substituting for Ti decreasing in the above order. For quaternary Ti–Al–V–Cr alloys, the site occupancies of V and Cr do not show much mutual influence. In general, with increasing atomic number, elements in the same period show increasing tendency to substitute for Al, as is the tendency to substitute for Ti for elements in the same group of the periodic table. For Ti₃Al alloys, Ga and Sn atoms occupy Al sites, while V, Cr, Mn, Zr, Nb, Mo and Ta atoms occupy Ti sites, the site preference of V, Cr, Mn and Mo in TiAl alloys being different from that in Ti₃Al. The experimental results are interpreted in terms of a Bragg–Williams-type model and bond-order data obtained from electronic structure calculation. Qualitative agreement between the model and measurements is reached.     

Site Occupation of Nb in γ-TiAl: Beyond the Point Defect Gas Approximation

Microalloying is an effective approach to improve the mechanical properties of γ-TiAl intermetallic compound. Knowledge about the site occupancy of the ternary alloying element in the crystal lattice of γ-TiAl is highly demanded in order to understand the physics underlying the alloying effect. Previous first-principle methods-based thermodynamic models for the determination of the site occupancy were based on the point defect gas approximation with the interaction between the point defects neglected. In the present work, we include the point defect interaction energy in the thermodynamic model, which allows us to predict the site occupancy of the ternary alloying element in γ-TiAl beyond the point defect gas approximation. The model is applied to the γ-TiAl-Nb alloy. We show that, at low temperature, the site occupancy of Nb atoms depends on the composition of the alloy: Nb atoms occupy the Al sublattice for the Ti-rich alloy but occupy Ti sublattice for the Al-rich alloy. The fraction of Nb atoms occupying Al sublattice in the Ti-rich alloy decreases drastically, whereas the fraction of Nb atoms on the Ti sublattice in the Al-rich alloy decreases slightly with increasing temperature. At high temperature, Nb atoms occupy dominantly the Ti sublattice for both the Ti-rich and Al-rich alloys. The interaction between the point defects makes the Ti sublattice more favorable for the Nb atoms to occupy.     

Microstructure and properties of novel quinary multi-principal element alloys with refractory elements

Five equiatomic alloys(Ti Zr Hf VNb, Ti Zr Hf VTa, Ti Zr Nb Mo V, Ti Zr Hf Mo V and Zr Nb Mo Hf V) composed of five elements with high melting temperature, respectively were prepared by arc-melting to develop a novel high temperature alloy. The five alloys exhibit different dendritic and interdendritic morphologies. The Ti Zr Hf VNb, Ti Zr Hf VTa and Ti Zr Nb Mo V alloys formed disordered solid solution phases with body-centered cubic structure, and exhibited high compressive strength and good plasticity. The Ti Zr Hf Mo V and Zr Nb Mo Hf V alloys are composed with Laves phase(Hf Mo2) and disordered solid solution phases with body-centered cubic structure. The Ti Zr Hf Mo V and Zr Nb Mo Hf V alloys are harder and more brittle than the other three alloys due to the existence of hard and brittle Laves phases. At high temperatures, the strength decreases to below 300 MPa for the Ti Zr Hf VNb and Ti Zr Hf Mo V alloys. Solution strengthening is the primary strengthening mechanism of the Ti Zr Hf VNb, Ti Zr Hf VTa and Ti Zr Nb Mo V alloys, and brittle Laves phase is the main cause for the low ductility of the Ti Zr Hf Mo V and Zr Nb Mo Hf V alloys.     

Microstructure and mechanical performance of brazed joints of Cf/SiC composite and Ti alloy using Ag–Cu–Ti–W

Abstract

C_f/SiC composite was brazed to Ti alloy using interlayer of Ag–Cu–Ti–W mixed powder. The effects of W content and brazing parameters on the microstructure and properties of the brazed joints were investigated. The results show that W grains mainly distribute in Ag phase in the brazing layer and provide the effects of reinforcement and lowering residual thermal stress on the joint. The room temperature and 500°C shear strengths of the joints performed at 500°C for 30 min with Ag–Cu–Ti–50W (vol.-%) are remarkably higher than the optimal strengths of the joints brazed with Ag–Cu–Ti.     

Cu44.25Ag14.75Zr36Ti5非晶合金的晶化行为

采用铜模铸造法制备了直径为3mm的柱状Cu44.25Ag14.75Zr36Ti5块体非晶合金,X射线衍射证明试样为完全非晶态。利用差示扫描热分析仪(DSC)、X射线衍射,研究了该非晶合金的晶化行为。利用Kissinger和Ozawa方程求得Cu44.25Ag14.75Zr36Ti5第一晶化峰和第二晶化峰的晶化激活能。结果表明,该大块非晶合金具有良好的热稳定性,在10K/min的加热速率下,析出相主要是Cu8Zr3和Cu10Zr7。     

Co3Ti化合物中合金元素有序行为的第一原理预测

基于离散变分Ｘ０６３３原子簇（ＤＶ－Ｘα ｃｌｕｓｔｅｒ）方法的电子结构计算,研究了合金元素在Ｌ１２结构Ｃｏ３Ｔｉ中的有序行为在电子结构计算中考虑了合金原子周围的晶格弛豫,以原子簇的结合能为参数绘图,用两条平行直线将合金元素在亚国中的占位行为分为三类,在两线外侧的元素分别只占Ｃｏ位（如Ｎｉ）或Ｔｉ位（如Ｓｃ,Ｙ,Ｚｒ,Ｈｆ等）,不受成分影响,两线之间元素（如Ｖ,Ｃｒ,Ｍｎ,Ｃｕ,Ｐｄ等）的占位行为     

Effect of ternary alloying elements addition on atomic ordering characteristics of Fe–Al intermetallics

The energetic and structural characteristics of atomic ordering processes in Fe_0.5(Al_1−nX_n)_0.5 intermetallics have been qualitatively analyzed based on the statistico-thermodynamical theory of ordering by means of a quasi-chemical method combined with electronic theory in the pseudopotential approximation. The effects of ternary impurities on order–disorder phase transformation temperature and the characteristics of atomic short-range order in Fe–Al type intermetallics have been calculated. Impurity elements in Fe_0.5(Al_1−nX_n)_0.5 where X=Ni, Co, Mn, Cr, Ti, Si, Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta, Re, Mo or W, are considered up to 1 at.% concentration. The results of the calculation indicate that the impurity elements, X, with regard to their lattice site occupancy characteristics (SRO) can be divided into two groups; X_I=Ni, Co, Mn or Cr element atoms substitute mainly for Al sublattice sites, whereas X_II=Ti, Si, Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta, Re, Mo or W element atoms substitute preferentially for Fe sublattice sites in Fe_0.5(Al_1−nX_n)_0.5 intermetallics. It has been found that the absolute values of partial ordering energies of the W^Al–X(R₁) and W^Fe–X(R₁) have a profound effect on the order–disorder transition temperature of Fe_0.5(Al_1−nX_n)_0.5 alloys that would either increase or remain unchanged depending on the type and content of the ternary substitutional alloying elements. The impurities X=Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta, Re, Mo or W which are preferentially distributed Fe sublattice sites are more effective in increasing order–disorder transition temperature in Fe–Al(B2) intermetallics. The results of the present calculation are in good qualitative agreement with experimental observation for most of the third component impurity elements X in Fe_0.5(Al_1−nX_n)_0.5 intermetallics.     

Thermodynamic modeling and composition design for the formation of Zr–Ti–Cu–Ni–Al high entropy bulk metallic glasses

This work explores the idea of predicting metallic glass forming composition in a multi component alloy for which an equilibrium phase diagram is yet to be deciphered. Deep eutectic regions in a quaternary alloy (Zr–Ti–Cu–Ni) have been extrapolated to the quinary Zr–Ti–Cu–Ni–Al system for designing a potential bulk glass forming composition. P_HSS parameter which is the product of mixing enthalpy, mismatch entropy and configurational entropy of an alloy, has been utilized for thermodynamic modeling. P_HSS values are computed through substitution of Al into the each of the fifteen quaternary eutectics that have been reported in the literature in the Zr–Ti–Cu–Ni system. A good correlation of P_HSS range between modeled alloys and established glass formers indicates the subtle efficacy of this method for high entropy amorphous alloy design through a rationale thermodynamic approach.     

Microstructure and tensile properties of isothermally forged Ni–43Ti–4Al–2Nb–2Hf alloy

NiTi-Al-based alloys are promising high-tem- perature structural materials for aerospace and astronautics applications. A new NiTi-Al-based alloy Ni--43Ti-4AI- 2Nb-2Hf （at%） was processed via isothermal forging. The microstructure and mechanical properties at room temperature and high temperature were investigated through scanning electron microscope （SEM）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, and tensile tests. Results show that the micro- structure of as-forged Ni-43Ti--4AI-2Nb-2Hf alloy con- sists of NiTi matrix, Ti2Ni phase, and Hf-rich phase. The simultaneous addition of Nb and Hf, which have strong affinities for Ti sites, promotes the precipitation of Hf-rich phases along the grain boundaries. The tensile strengths of Ni-43Ti-4A1-2Nb-2Hf alloy are dramatically increased compared with the ternary Ni-46Ti-4A1 alloy. At room temperature and 650℃, the yield stress of Ni--43Ti-4Al- 2Nb-2Hf alloy reaches 1,070 and 610 MPa, respectively, which are 30 % and 150 % higher than those of Ni--46Ti- 4Al alloy. The improved tensile property results from the solid solution strengthening by Nb and Hf, as well as the dispersion hardening of the Ti2Ni and Hf-rich phases.     

一种铜基电阻焊电极合金

报道了一种新的无Ｃｏ，低Ｂｅ电阻焊电极合金Ｃｕ－Ｎｉ－Ｚｒ－Ｂｅ－Ｔｉ（Ｂ合金）。将其组织性能同常用的Ｃｕ－Ｃｏ－Ｂｅ（Ａ合金）电极合金作了对比分析。结果表明，Ｂ俣金硬度，软化度同Ａ合金相近，但导电、导热性明显高于Ａ合金 。