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The passive film on a dual-phase Al0.3Cr0.5Fe2Mn0.25Mo0.15Ni1.5Ti0.3 FCC + Heusler (L21) compositionally concentrated alloy formed during extended exposure to an applied potential in the passive range in dilute chloride solution was characterized. Each phase, with its own distinct composition of passivating elements, formed unique passive films separated by a heterophase interface. High-resolution, surface sensitive characterization enabled chemical analysis of the passive film formed over individual phases. The film formed over the L21 phase had a higher concentration of Al, Ni, and Ti, while the film formed over FCC phase was of similar thickness but contained comparatively higher Cr, Fe, and Mo concentrations, consistent with the differences in bulk microstructure composition. The passive film was continuous across phase boundaries and the distribution of passivating elements (Al, Cr, and Ti) indicated both phases were independently passivated. Spatially resolved analysis of the surface chemistry of the dual-phase CCA revealed that the cation with the highest composition in passive film formed on the FCC phase was Cr (52.4 at. pct) and for the L21 phase was Ti (53.1 at. pct) despite the bulk concentration of each element being below 20 at. pct in their respective phases. Al, Cr, and Ti were enriched in both phases within the passive film relative to their respective bulk compositions. In parallel studies, single-phase alloys with compositions representative of the FCC and L21 phases were synthesized to evaluate the corrosion behavior of each phase in isolation. The corrosion behavior of the dual-phase alloy showed passivity evidenced by a pitting potential of 0.615 VSCE in 0.01 M NaCl. The pitting potential and other electrochemical parameters suggested a combination of behaviors of both single-phase samples, suggesting that the global corrosion behavior may be represented by a composite theory applied to phases, their area fractions, and interphase length. However, the interphase in the dual-phase CCA was a local corrosion initiation site and may limit localized corrosion protectiveness. The alloy design implications for optimization of second phase structure and morphology are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solitonic magnetic excitations such as domain walls and, specifically, skyrmionics enable the possibility of compact, high density, ultrafast, all-electronic, low-energy devices, which is the basis for the emerging area of skyrmionics. The topological winding of skyrmion spins affects their overall lifetime, energetics, and dynamical behavior. In this Perspective, we discuss skyrmionics in the context of the present-day solid-state memory landscape and show how their size, stability, and mobility can be controlled by material engineering, as well as how they can be nucleated and detected. Ferrimagnets near their compensation points are promising candidates for this application, leading to a detailed exploration of amorphous CoGd as well as the study of emergent materials such as Mn 4 N and inverse Heusler alloys. Along with material properties, geometrical parameters such as film thickness, defect density, and notches can be used to tune skyrmion properties, such as their size and stability. Topology, however, can be a double-edged sword, especially for isolated metastable skyrmions, as it brings stability at the cost of additional damping and deflective Magnus forces compared to domain walls. Skyrmion deformation in response to forces also makes them intrinsically slower than domain walls. We explore potential analog applications of skyrmions, including temporal memory at low density—one skyrmion per racetrack—that capitalizes on their near ballistic current–velocity relation to map temporal data to spatial data and decorrelators for stochastic computing at a higher density that capitalizes on their interactions. We summarize the main challenges of achieving a skyrmionics technology, including maintaining positional stability with very high accuracy and electrical readout, especially for small ferrimagnetic skyrmions, deterministic nucleation, and annihilation and overall integration with digital circuits with the associated circuit overhead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanocomposites have become a new paradigm for thermoelectric research in recent years and have resulted in the reduction of thermal conductivity via the nano-inclusion and grain boundary scattering. In this work, we report the preparation and thermoelectric study of SiGe-yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) nanocomposites prepared by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS). We experimentally investigated the reduction of lattice thermal conductivity (κL) in the temperature range (30-800 K) of n-type Si80Ge20P2 alloys with the incorporation of YSZ nanoparticles (20-40 nm diameter) into the Si-Ge matrix. These samples synthesized by using the SPS technique were found to have densities>95% of the theoretical density. The thermal conductivity, at both low and high temperatures, was measured by steady state and laser flash techniques, respectively. At room temperature, we observed approximately a 50% reduction in the lattice thermal conductivity as result of adding 10% YSZ by volume to the Si80Ge20P2 host matrix. A phenomenological model developed by Callaway was used to corroborate both the temperature dependence and reduction of κL over the measured temperature range (30-800 K) of both Si80Ge20P2 and Si80Ge20P2+YSZ samples. The observed κL is discussed and interpreted in terms of various phonon scattering mechanisms such as alloy disorder, the Umklapp phonon scattering, and boundary scattering. In addition, a contribution from the phonon scattering by YSZ nanoparticles was further included to account for the κL of Si80Ge20P2+YSZ sample. The theoretical calculations are in reasonably good agreement with the experimental results for both the Si80Ge20P2 and Si80Ge20P2+YSZ alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Half-Heusler alloys have been the focus of recent experimental research as emerging thermoelectric materials. Particular attention has been focused on the MNiSn (M=Ti, Zr, and Hf) alloys with substitutions made to reduce the lattice thermal conductivity and enhance the electrical transport properties. The effect of these substitutions on the relaxation time of phonon scattering in the material, and the impact on the lattice thermal conductivity, was investigated with a focus on modeling the experimental data. A modified Callaway model was used to describe experimental data, which were then compared to theoretical results predicted using phonon scattering by mass fluctuation and strain field models. The correlation between the coefficients obtained with experimental fits and theoretical models shows a predictable and systematic relationship between alloy composition and the thermal conductivity. In addition, the role of the normal (N) phonon-phonon scattering process is investigated following a recent theoretical study that indicated that the effect of N-process was underestimated in original Callaway's model. A comparison of the lattice thermal conductivity behavior using the phonon relaxation times in the original Callaway's model and the newly suggested theoretical model by Allen for the normal process is presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of ferromagnetic metallic glasses with compositions (Fe,Co)78Mo1(B,P,Si)21 are shown to possess good thermal stability and soft magnetic performance. The thermal stability inside the supercooled liquid temperature region was evaluated using Kissinger analysis of primary crystallization, time-temperature-transformation (TTT) diagrams, and the extent of the supercooled liquid region (ΔTx). The phosphorus-free alloy, Fe78Mo1B15Si6, had an activation energy (Ea) of 414 kJ/mol, ΔTx ∼ 50 K, and began devitrifying after about 1 min at 730 K. By way of comparison, the phosphorus-containing alloy, Fe78Mo1B13P6Si2, had an Ea of 440 kJ/mol, ΔTx ∼ 45 K, and began devitrification after 10 min at 730 K. High saturation magnetization (μ0Ms ∼ 1.45-1.55 T) and low coercivity (Hc ∼ 20 A/m) are demonstrated across the composition range. Core loss measurements of toroidal cores are shown to be less than 12 W/cm3 at 1 T, maximum induction amplitude (under both sinusoidal and square waveforms). Trends were established for magnetic and thermal stability as a function of metalloid and magnetic transition metal composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effective medium theory of thermal conductivity of two-phase composites studied by Nan et al. has been extended to investigate concentrated nanocomposites. Due to the presence of inter-particle phonon scattering processes in concentrated nanocomposites, the effective lattice thermal conductivity keff varies more rapidly with the volume fraction of second-phase inclusions in the composite. Applying the new keff expressions to monolithic material systems, the results are found to capture the experimental trend of monolithic nanostructured materials. In particular, it is noted that the dimensionless figure of merit, ZT, is nearly doubled by only reducing the lattice thermal conductivity. Two-phase nanocomposites have also been evaluated, demonstrating that these latter systems are very suited for high thermoelectric performance. Present study leads to several strategies for obtaining ZT ∼ 2 or higher in nanocomposites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bulk metallic glasses consisting of Fe, Mo, Cr, C, B, and Er have been investigated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, aimed to elucidate the local atomic structure of the amorphous phase. In order to examine the electronic properties of this class of material, photon energy dependent measurements in combination with argon-ion irradiation were employed to identify and separate surface and bulk contributions to the spectra. The core levels suggest the presence of a carbon-rich surface layer with oxidized boron and metals, and metal carbides and borides in the bulk. Exposure to molecular oxygen and annealing experiments probe the chemical reactivity of the material. Formation of boron oxides at comparably low temperatures (300 °C) might have consequences for the stability of the amorphous phase. We observe variations in binding energy of the Fe 3p core level with respect to the alloy composition, which indicate changes in the chemical state of iron. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The glass formability (GFA) of Y- and Ca-based alloys is enhanced by inserting elements that yield a more uniform separation in the atomic sizes, as well as a wider atomic size distribution range, in agreement with the analytical findings of Miracle, Senkov, and others. The degree of the GFA improvement depends on the chemical compatibility of the addition elements with the existing components. By combining this observation with similar results noted in other alloys that form large-size bulk metallic glasses, the importance of the atomic size effect and chemical compatibility in glass forming alloys is revealed. The atomic size effect and chemical compatibility are discussed along with other glass forming factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzes the mechanical properties of an aluminum-based metallic glass. Insight on the fabrication of the material; Description of the material's tensile fracture strength; Implication for further research.