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Advances in Low-Carbon and Zero-Carbon Metallurgical Technologies
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Advances in Low-Carbon and Zero-Carbon Metallurgical Technologies

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Manufacturing Processes and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 January 2027 | Viewed by 1623

Editors

Dr. Kezhou Song

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Energy and Power Engineering, Qilu University of Technology, Jinan 250013, China
Interests: metallurgical transport phenomena; metallurgical environmental engineering
Dr. Ying-De Huang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Interests: sodium-ion batteries; lithium-ion batteries; gel electrolytes; cathode materials; electrochemical energy storage
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Low-carbon and zero-carbon metallurgy stands at the forefront of sustainable industrial transformation, representing a pivotal shift for the future of the metal and material industry. This Special Issue seeks high-quality feature papers that provide insights into and highlight the latest scientific and technological advancements in developing and scaling low- and zero-carbon metallurgical processes. We welcome contributions that span fundamental research, process innovation, and system integration, with applications across ferrous, non-ferrous, and critical metal production. As Guest Editors of this Special Issue, we cordially invite you to submit your recent work, including original research manuscripts and comprehensive review articles that significantly advance our understanding of these transformative technologies.

Dr. Kezhou Song
Dr. Ying-De Huang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • preparation of metal alloy
  • hydrogen metallurgy
  • secondary resource recycling
  • metallurgy of materials
  • metallurgical electrochemistry
  • bio-leaching and bio-recovery
  • optimization of transportation
  • novel reactor design
  • LCA and techno-economic analysis
  • advanced materials for harsh environments

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 5514 KB  
Article
CFD Analysis of the Flow Field in an SBS Furnace Under Thick Slag Layer Conditions for Nickel Smelting
by Kezhou Song, Pekka Taskinen, Yuanmin Zou, Zhigang Liu, Yingde Huang, Can Ji, Cong Wang, Shenglong Zhang and Fuqiang Xu
Materials 2026, 19(13), 2882; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19132882 - 6 Jul 2026
Viewed by 276
Abstract
The demand for metallic nickel has been growing steadily. Laterite nickel ore, as an oxide mineral, contains a higher nickel content than sulfide ores, enabling more economical smelting in the nickel extraction process. However, an extremely thick slag layer generated during side-blown smelting [...] Read more.
The demand for metallic nickel has been growing steadily. Laterite nickel ore, as an oxide mineral, contains a higher nickel content than sulfide ores, enabling more economical smelting in the nickel extraction process. However, an extremely thick slag layer generated during side-blown smelting of laterite nickel ore alters the bath circulation characteristic of conventional smelting processes. To address this, this study employs a validated Multi-Fluid VOF model to analyze the flow field characteristics of the side-blown furnace bath under varying slag layer thicknesses. Within the slag thickness range of 1.5–2.5 m, the ascending air plume shifts horizontally along the furnace wall with increasing slag thickness, entraining matte into the slag and promoting its diffusion toward the settling zone. Matte diffusion is governed by bath circulation: backflow from the settling zone dominates at lower slag thickness, while vertical kinetic energy from splashed melt reflux dominates at higher thickness. This reflux-induced circulation is blocked by the dense matte layer, causing no disturbance to the bottom matte and thus favoring slag–matte separation. Increasing slag thickness raises the near-wall circulation zone and plume entry point, reducing gas holdup near the tuyere and weakening oxygen–matte contact. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Low-Carbon and Zero-Carbon Metallurgical Technologies)
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17 pages, 4851 KB  
Article
Enhanced Fracture Toughness in Diamond/B4C Composites Through Residual-Stress-Induced Crack Deflection
by Yiyang Zhan, Zhengxin Li, Mu Qiao, Yujie Wang, Xuefei Fang, Yakun Lan, Guangli Zhu, Yuanmin Zou, Wenjie Yang and Chenyang Shi
Materials 2026, 19(13), 2708; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19132708 - 24 Jun 2026
Viewed by 304
Abstract
Boron carbide (B4C) holds significant application potential in the fields of lightweight, high-hardness protective and high-end wear-resistant components due to its low density and exceptional hardness. However, its strong covalent bonding leads to low sintering activity and weak grain-boundary cohesion, resulting [...] Read more.
Boron carbide (B4C) holds significant application potential in the fields of lightweight, high-hardness protective and high-end wear-resistant components due to its low density and exceptional hardness. However, its strong covalent bonding leads to low sintering activity and weak grain-boundary cohesion, resulting in high brittleness and crack sensitivity. These inherent properties make it difficult to achieve simultaneous full densification and toughness enhancement, severely limiting the reliability of B4C under complex service conditions. Although diamond is an attractive reinforcement because of its high elastic modulus and low coefficient of thermal expansion, the simultaneous realization of densification, graphitization suppression, and fracture-resistance improvement in diamond/B4C composites remains insufficiently understood. In this study, diamond particles were introduced into the B4C matrix and consolidated by rapid high-temperature and high-pressure (HTHP) sintering to synergistically promote densification and fracture toughening. The effects of sintering temperature and diamond content on phase evolution, densification, microstructure, and mechanical properties were systematically investigated, and the associated toughening mechanisms were analyzed. The results indicate that the hardness generally increases with rising sintering temperature and diamond content. The primary toughening mechanisms are identified as the pull-out of diamond particles and crack deflection induced by residual stresses generated during the cooling process. Although the composite with 20 wt.% diamond exhibits higher hardness, it also experiences severe macroscopic cracking. The composite with 10 wt.% diamond sintered at 1450 °C under 5.3 GPa for 4 min exhibits the optimal balance of properties, achieving a relative density of 98.85%, a Vickers hardness of 40.72 GPa, and a fracture toughness of 9.20 MPa·m1/2. This work confirms the effectiveness of combining diamond reinforcement with HTHP sintering in simultaneously achieving densification and toughening of B4C-based composites, providing a new pathway for developing high-performance lightweight protective ceramics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Low-Carbon and Zero-Carbon Metallurgical Technologies)
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14 pages, 12386 KB  
Communication
Effect of SiC Content on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of CoCrFeNi High-Entropy Alloy Composites
by Ning Li, Xinlong Hu, Chengbo Wu, Mengyuan Jiang, Huiying Li, Jinlong Zhang and Fuyuan Dong
Materials 2026, 19(12), 2501; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19122501 - 10 Jun 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 292
Abstract
In this work, to address the limitation of low strength and hardness of single-phase CoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy, SiC particles were introduced as a reinforcing phase to prepare CoCrFeNi matrix composites with SiC contents of 0 wt%, 1 wt%, 2.5 wt% and 5 wt% [...] Read more.
In this work, to address the limitation of low strength and hardness of single-phase CoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy, SiC particles were introduced as a reinforcing phase to prepare CoCrFeNi matrix composites with SiC contents of 0 wt%, 1 wt%, 2.5 wt% and 5 wt% via spark plasma sintering (SPS). It was preliminarily predicted that SiC particles would be uniformly distributed along grain boundaries of the CoCrFeNi matrix. During sintering, partial SiC decomposes at high-temperature, high-activity interfaces, regulating carbide precipitation and phase structural evolution, while residual undecomposed SiC remains at grain boundaries to pin boundaries and refine grains, thereby synergistically enhancing mechanical properties and wear resistance. Microstructural characterization reveals that all samples maintain a face-centered cubic (FCC) solid-solution matrix, and samples with non-zero SiC addition contain Cr7C3 carbides, which are mostly distributed at grain boundaries. With the increase in SiC content, mechanical performance is remarkably improved compared with the unreinforced CoCrFeNi matrix: the hardness rises from 198.8 HV to 321.7 HV, the yield strength is greatly enhanced from 242.5 MPa to 673.4 MPa, and the tensile strength increases from 557.9 MPa to 755.7 MPa. The improved yield strength originates synergistically from grain refinement, solid-solution strengthening, grain-boundary strengthening and dislocation strengthening. By clarifying the influence of microstructural defects on critical shear stress (τ0) and normal fracture stress (σ0), the intrinsic mechanism governing tensile mechanical performance and ductile–brittle fracture transition was revealed. This optimized CoCrFeNi/SiC composite exhibits excellent strength–hardness comprehensive performance, showing promising application potential for high-load, wear-resistant and structural service components under severe tribological and pressure conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Low-Carbon and Zero-Carbon Metallurgical Technologies)
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21 pages, 7182 KB  
Article
Improved Thermo-Hydraulic Stability and Boiling Heat Transfer Through a Novel Three-Layer Microchannel Heat Sink with 3/4 Open-Ring Pin Fin Arrays
by Guangyao Liu, Can Ji, Zhigang Liu, Peter D. Lund, Yeyao Liu, Fuqiang Xu, Shenglong Zhang, Cong Wang and Donghao Li
Materials 2026, 19(10), 2143; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19102143 - 20 May 2026
Viewed by 365
Abstract
This study systematically investigated flow boiling characteristics within a novel three-layer microchannel heat sink with 3/4 open-ring pin fin arrays, designed for high-heat-flux thermal management of low-carbon metallurgical reactors. Two-phase flow regimes, pressure drop, and wall temperature responses were analyzed. To evaluate the [...] Read more.
This study systematically investigated flow boiling characteristics within a novel three-layer microchannel heat sink with 3/4 open-ring pin fin arrays, designed for high-heat-flux thermal management of low-carbon metallurgical reactors. Two-phase flow regimes, pressure drop, and wall temperature responses were analyzed. To evaluate the impact of functional surface material properties on thermo-hydraulic behavior, a hydrophilic nano-coating modification was applied to the inner copper channel walls for comparison. Increasing the flow rate triggered a transition from a vapor-dominated confined slug flow to a liquid-dominated dispersed bubble flow, which effectively improved the thermo-hydraulic stability. Hydrophilic surface modification resulted in an average pressure drop reduction of 33% and significantly diminished the sensitivity of flow resistance to velocity variations. Through hydrophilic treatment, the localized vapor film effect at high velocities was suppressed, and temperature field homogenization was promoted, yielding a maximum convective heat transfer coefficient of 7760 W/(m2·°C), i.e., 72.9% enhancement over the baseline heat sink. The underlying mechanism is attributed to the formation of a stable near-wall thin liquid film and the promotion of high-frequency nucleate boiling. These results will be of high relevance for developing efficient cooling solutions for power electronics, thereby supporting the advancement of low-carbon metallurgical reactors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Low-Carbon and Zero-Carbon Metallurgical Technologies)
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