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A combination of glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy sputtering and local electrochemical measurements was used to determine electrochemical changes upon brazing in a multi-layered Aluminium sheet (AA4343/AA3xxx/AA4343) with an additional low-Cu (AA3xxx) interlayer. Ecorr values from potentiodynamic polarization, galvanic corrosion behaviour by ZRA, microstructure and composition by SEM and TEM were investigated and compared to those obtained for sheet without the interlayer. Inward diffusion of Si from clad, and outward diffusion of Cu from core are found to degrade the corrosion properties of conventional sheet, whereas presence of interlayer reduced outward diffusion of Cu and hence improved corrosion protection.

Very recently, low-temperature superconductivity was discovered for the intermetallic compound HfCuGe2 (2013; Cava RJ, et al, EPL 101:67001.), which was declared as "a non-magnetic analog of the 1111 iron pnictides". Herein, by means of the first-principles calculations, we have examined in detail the structural, elastic, and electronic properties of HfCuGe2, as well as of the isostructural and isoelectronic phases ZrCuGe2, HfCuSi2, and ZrCuSi2, which are analyzed in comparison with a set of 1111-like phases. The obtained close similarity of the electronic factors, namely, the topologies of the near-Fermi bands, the Fermi surfaces, as well as the DOS values at the Fermi level for superconducting HfCuGe2 and other examined 112 phases allowed us to assume that low-temperature superconductivity may be expected also for ZrCuGe2, HfCuSi2, and ZrCuSi2. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Very recently, low-temperature superconductivity was discovered for the intermetallic compound HfCuGe2 (2013; Cava RJ, et al, EPL 101:67001.), which was declared as "a non-magnetic analog of the 1111 iron pnictides". Herein, by means of the first-principles calculations, we have examined in detail the structural, elastic, and electronic properties of HfCuGe2, as well as of the isostructural and isoelectronic phases ZrCuGe2, HfCuSi2, and ZrCuSi2, which are analyzed in comparison with a set of 1111-like phases. The obtained close similarity of the electronic factors, namely, the topologies of the near-Fermi bands, the Fermi surfaces, as well as the DOS values at the Fermi level for superconducting HfCuGe2 and other examined 112 phases allowed us to assume that low-temperature superconductivity may be expected also for ZrCuGe2, HfCuSi2, and ZrCuSi2. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Elastic properties of substitutionally disordered Pt-rich Pt-Sc alloys and L12-ordered Pt3Sc compound are derived from the first-principles calculations based on the exact muffin-tin orbitals (EMTO) method. We demonstrate that these alloys should exhibit a ductile behavior, which combined with relatively high melting temperature and strong cohesive properties make them a very promising candidate for high-temperature applications. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.