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Liquid Structures and Solidification Processes of Metals
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Liquid Structures and Solidification Processes of Metals

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Metals and Alloys".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2025 | Viewed by 4508

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Xuelei Tian

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Materials Science & Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, China
Interests: relationship between liquid structure and liquid-solid structure of metal; numerical simulation of solidification process; optimization of casting process; machine learning
Prof. Dr. Hui Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, China
Interests: metal solidification technology and new lightweight alloys; material simulation and design
Dr. Xiaohang Lin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, China
Interests: liquid structures; solidification processes; metal melts; surface alloy for catalyst

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Metallic melts are necessary for the manufacturing processes of most metallic materials. The properties of most metal products are directly or indirectly affected by their liquid phase during the casting process, in other words, many characteristics of metals are related to their melt properties. The structural characteristics, performances, and applications of alloys rely heavily on the properties of their melts, such as liquid structures and solidification processes. Due to the high-temperature and liquid conditions in the experiments, the basic physical images of the melts have complex appearances and have not been fully understood.

This Special Issue explores the research of metallic melts including their structures/processes and the relationship between the structures/processes of melts and structure/performance of solid states. This Special Issue aims to focus on the advances in this attractive field of research.

It is our pleasure to invite you to submit your work to this Special Issue. Research papers, reviews, and communications are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Xuelei Tian
Prof. Dr. Hui Li
Dr. Xiaohang Lin
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • physical models
  • theoretical and experimental methods
  • liquid structures under thermodynamics equilibrium
  • structural evolution
  • solidification processes including the relationship between the structures/processes of melts and structure/performance of solid state

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 26169 KiB  
Article
Effect on Microstructure and Magnetic Properties of Nd-Fe-B Magnets Through Grain Boundary Diffusion of Tb and Multi-Component Alloys
by Fei Wang, Mei Wang, Wei-Ming Liu, Peng-Fei Wang, Qian Wang, Yu-Meng Zhang, Zhao-Pu Xu, Wei Li and Xin-De Zhu
Materials 2025, 18(4), 736; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18040736 - 7 Feb 2025
Viewed by 576
Abstract
In this study, commercial Nd-Fe-B magnets were utilized as starting materials to investigate the impact of various Tb-containing diffusion sources on the magnetic properties. Tb, Tb60Nd5Al30Ga5, and Tb65Pr10Nd5Al5 [...] Read more.
In this study, commercial Nd-Fe-B magnets were utilized as starting materials to investigate the impact of various Tb-containing diffusion sources on the magnetic properties. Tb, Tb60Nd5Al30Ga5, and Tb65Pr10Nd5Al5Cu10Ga5 were developed as diffusion sources. After grain boundary diffusion treatment, the magnetic parameters of the magnets were evaluated at 20 °C, 90 °C, and 140 °C. The composition, microstructure, and elemental distributions of the magnets before and after diffusion were examined. It was found that the inherent coercivity of the magnets showed a dramatic increment of 49.4% at 20 °C after diffusion with Tb-containing alloys. The benefits and drawbacks of the designed diffusion sources were thoroughly discussed. Magnets diffused with the Tb65Pr10Nd5Al5Cu10Ga5 source displayed the highest overall performance, generating a thin layer with a grid-like structure at the grain boundaries and a consistent shell structure of Tb around the main phase grains. This work offers a promising alternative in the optimization of Nd-Fe-B magnets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liquid Structures and Solidification Processes of Metals)
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24 pages, 23627 KiB  
Article
Effect of Trace Sc Addition on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr Alloy
by Yuchen Huang, Linfei Xia, Huabing Yang, Chengguo Wang, Yuying Wu and Xiangfa Liu
Materials 2025, 18(3), 648; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18030648 - 31 Jan 2025
Viewed by 672
Abstract
Transition element microalloying is important for improving the properties of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys. Nevertheless, along with its high costs, increasing Sc content generates a harmful phase, limiting the strength of the alloy. In this experiment, we reduced the amount of Sc added to a [...] Read more.
Transition element microalloying is important for improving the properties of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys. Nevertheless, along with its high costs, increasing Sc content generates a harmful phase, limiting the strength of the alloy. In this experiment, we reduced the amount of Sc added to a Zr-containing Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy by one order of magnitude. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloys were studied by means of tensile tests, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The findings indicate that the alloys’ mechanical properties were progressively enhanced with the increase in Sc content from 0 to 0.04%. After adding 0.04% Sc, the tensile strength and yield strength of the Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr-Sc alloy increased by 20.9% and 24.3%, reaching 716 MPa and 640 MPa, respectively, and the elongation decreased, but still reached 12.93%. The strengthening mechanisms of the trace addition of Sc are fine grain strengthening and precipitate and disperse strengthening, and Al3(Sc, Zr) particles hinder the dislocation and grain boundary movement. Drawing on insights from other studies on Sc microalloying in Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys, this experiment successfully reduced the amount of Sc added by an order of magnitude, the alloys properties were improved, and the effect of strengthening remained good. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liquid Structures and Solidification Processes of Metals)
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13 pages, 5751 KiB  
Article
High-Strength Ultrafine-Grained Al-Mg-Si Alloys Exposed to Mechanical Alloying and Press-Forming: A Comparison with Cast Alloys
by Wenjie Zhong, Lin Song, Huaguo Tang, Xu Wu, Zhuhui Qiao and Xunyong Liu
Materials 2025, 18(1), 99; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18010099 - 29 Dec 2024
Viewed by 855
Abstract
A high-strength Al-Mg-Si alloy was prepared using mechanical alloying (MA) combined with press-forming (PF) technology, achieving a strength of up to 715 MPa and a hardness of 173 HB. The microstructures were comparatively analyzed with conventional cast Al-Mg-Si alloys using XRD, TKD, and [...] Read more.
A high-strength Al-Mg-Si alloy was prepared using mechanical alloying (MA) combined with press-forming (PF) technology, achieving a strength of up to 715 MPa and a hardness of 173 HB. The microstructures were comparatively analyzed with conventional cast Al-Mg-Si alloys using XRD, TKD, and TEM. The XRD results showed that the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the alloy prepared by MA+PF was significantly broadened and accompanied by a shift in the diffraction peak. TKD revealed that the grain size of the MA+PF processed alloy was significantly reduced to approximately 260 nm, indicating substantial refinement compared to the cast alloy. Additionally, using TEM, it was found that the newly developed MA+PF alloy exhibited a distinct morphology of Mg2Si precipitation phases and a high density of stacking faults (SFs), characteristics that differed from those in the cast alloy. The significant enhancement in strength can be attributed to the synergistic strengthening effects of grain refinement, second-phase precipitation, and stacking fault strengthening, as synthesized and analyzed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liquid Structures and Solidification Processes of Metals)
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13 pages, 8024 KiB  
Article
The Formation Criteria of LPSO Phase in Type I LPSO Mg-Y-X Alloy from the Perspective of Liquid–Solid Correlation
by Tangpeng Ma, Jin Wang, Jixue Zhou, Jingyu Qin, Kaiming Cheng, Huan Yu, Dongqing Zhao, Huabing Yang, Chengwei Zhan, Guochen Zhao and Xinxin Li
Materials 2024, 17(20), 5032; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17205032 - 15 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1100
Abstract
The formation criteria of the LPSO phase are important for the design of long-period stacking-ordered (LPSO) Mg alloys. This work focuses on Type I LPSO Mg-Y-X alloys and attempts to explore the formation criteria of the LPSO phase from the perspective of liquid-solid [...] Read more.
The formation criteria of the LPSO phase are important for the design of long-period stacking-ordered (LPSO) Mg alloys. This work focuses on Type I LPSO Mg-Y-X alloys and attempts to explore the formation criteria of the LPSO phase from the perspective of liquid-solid correlation. With the aid of ab-initio molecular dynamics simulation, liquid Mg-Y-X alloys are investigated to obtain the common liquid characteristics from the reported Type I LPSO Mg-Y-X alloys. Following the liquid characteristics, a new Type I LPSO alloy, i.e., Mg-Y-Au, is experimentally confirmed. The discovery of a new Type I LPSO alloy supports liquid–solid correlation, and hence, the formation criteria of the LPSO phase in Type I LPSO alloys can be developed based on the common liquid characteristics of Type I LPSO Mg-Y-X alloys as follows: X should result in the reduction in equilibrium volume and cohesive energy; Y should repulse Y and be attracted by both Mg and X, and X should be repulsed by both Mg and X; X should enhance the threefold and fourfold symmetries and weaken the fivefold and sixfold ones so that the local structural symmetries are distributed close to liquid pure Mg. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liquid Structures and Solidification Processes of Metals)
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Review

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17 pages, 4838 KiB  
Review
Structure Models of Metal Melts: A Review
by Ailong Jiang, Yujuan Li, Qihua Wu, Yusheng Qin, Shixuan Ma, Yunji Zhang, Xiaohang Lin and Xuelei Tian
Materials 2024, 17(23), 5882; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17235882 - 30 Nov 2024
Viewed by 787
Abstract
Nowadays, metallic materials are subject to increasingly high performance requirements, particularly in the context of energy efficiency and environmental sustainability, etc. Researchers typically target properties such as enhanced strength, hardness, and reduced weight, as well as superior physical and chemical characteristics, including electrochemical [...] Read more.
Nowadays, metallic materials are subject to increasingly high performance requirements, particularly in the context of energy efficiency and environmental sustainability, etc. Researchers typically target properties such as enhanced strength, hardness, and reduced weight, as well as superior physical and chemical characteristics, including electrochemical activity and catalytic efficiency. The structure of metal melts is essential for the design and synthesis of advanced metallic materials. Studies using high-temperature liquid X-ray diffraction (HTXRD) have established a broad consensus that short and medium range ordering exists within metallic melts. However, the high-temperature and liquid conditions during experiments obscure the fundamental physical characteristics, leading to ongoing discussions. Developing simplified models is a typical approach to deal with the complex systems, facilitating a clearer and more direct understanding of the underlying physical images. Here, different physical models of metal melts will be reviewed, starting with transient models, then following with thermodynamic statistical model. The physical image and applications of the models will be carefully discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liquid Structures and Solidification Processes of Metals)
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