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Recent Advances in Stainless Steel: Characterization, Properties and Applications

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 1446

Special Issue Editor

Heat and Surface Technology R&D Department, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, 156 Gaetbeol-Ro, Incheon 21999, Republic of Korea
Interests: microstructural characterization; mechanical properties enhancement; corrosion resistance; additive manufacturing; alloy development; surface modification; sustainable manufacturing; aerospace and biomedical applications

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue titled "Recent Advances in Stainless Steel: Characterization, Properties and Applications" will focus on the latest innovations in stainless steel, encompassing cutting-edge techniques in microstructural characterization, the enhancement of mechanical properties, and advanced corrosion resistance. This issue will cover a wide range of applications, from aerospace to biomedical industries, emphasizing sustainable manufacturing practices and alloy optimization. Researchers are invited to contribute studies on emerging technologies, such as additive manufacturing and surface modification, and their impact on stainless steel performance in extreme environments.

Key Topics:

  1. Microstructural Characterization;
  2. Mechanical Properties Enhancement;
  3. Corrosion Resistance;
  4. Additive Manufacturing;
  5. Alloy Development;
  6. Surface Modification;
  7. Sustainable Manufacturing;
  8. Aerospace and Biomedical Applications.

Dr. SeKwon Oh
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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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

  • microstructural characterization
  • mechanical properties enhancement
  • corrosion resistance
  • additive manufacturing
  • alloy development
  • surface modification
  • sustainable manufacturing
  • aerospace and biomedical applications

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 10435 KiB  
Article
Effect of Heat Treatment on Microstructure and Properties of 304/Q235 Composite Round Steel
by Xiexin Zheng and Yi Ding
Materials 2025, 18(11), 2497; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18112497 - 26 May 2025
Viewed by 239
Abstract
During the heat treatment of stainless steel (SS)/carbon steel (CS) bimetal composites, the carbon in the CS diffuses into the SS, and carbides precipitate on the grain boundary and in the grains, affecting the microstructure and properties of the composite steel. In order [...] Read more.
During the heat treatment of stainless steel (SS)/carbon steel (CS) bimetal composites, the carbon in the CS diffuses into the SS, and carbides precipitate on the grain boundary and in the grains, affecting the microstructure and properties of the composite steel. In order to change the precipitation and distribution of the carbides seen on hot-rolled 304/Q235 after cold drawing (HR), the microstructure and properties of composite round steel were investigated by optical microscopy, SEM/EDS, and hardness, tensile, fatigue, and electrochemical tests while changing the temperature of the full annealing and aging treatments. The results showed that dispersed chromium carbide particles precipitated at the grain boundaries, and intragranular and slip lines promoted simultaneous dispersion strengthening and fine-grain strengthening and greatly improved the hardness, yield strength, tensile strength, and fatigue strength of the composite round steel. However, the increase in chromium carbide particles leads to the formation of stress concentration points and accelerates the creation of fatigue cracks, resulting in a decrease in the fatigue strength of the steel. Simultaneously, the corrosion resistance of the composite round steel samples was reduced due to the precipitation of a large amount of chromium carbide. Full article
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16 pages, 11068 KiB  
Article
Effect of Interlayers on Microstructure and Corrosion Resistance of 304/45 Stainless Steel Cladding Plate
by Yongtong Chen and Yi Ding
Materials 2025, 18(11), 2473; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18112473 - 24 May 2025
Viewed by 416
Abstract
During the high-temperature preparation of stainless steel cladding plate, carbon atoms from carbon steel diffused into stainless steel. When temperatures were within 450–850 °C, carbides precipitated at grain boundaries, which initiated intergranular sensitization and thereby reduced the corrosion resistance of stainless steel. This [...] Read more.
During the high-temperature preparation of stainless steel cladding plate, carbon atoms from carbon steel diffused into stainless steel. When temperatures were within 450–850 °C, carbides precipitated at grain boundaries, which initiated intergranular sensitization and thereby reduced the corrosion resistance of stainless steel. This study designed NiP and NiCuP interlayer alloys to effectively block carbon diffusion in stainless steel cladding plates. The effect of adding interlayers on the microstructure of stainless steel cladding plate was studied by using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Electrochemical tests were subsequently conducted to evaluate the impact of interlayer incorporation on the corrosion resistance of stainless steel cladding. The results demonstrated that 304/45 specimens exhibited severe carbon diffusion, resulting in the poorest corrosion resistance. The addition of interlayers improved the corrosion resistance of stainless steel cladding to varying degrees. Among these, the 304/NiCuP/45 specimen showed the best performance. It had an intergranular corrosion susceptibility of only 0.25% and pitting potential as high as 0.336 V, which indicated its superior corrosion resistance. The passive film of stainless steel cladding exhibited n-type semiconductor characteristics. And 304/NiCuP/45 specimen demonstrated the lowest carrier density of 3.02 × 1018 cm−3, which indicated the formation of the densest passive film. Full article
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14 pages, 4683 KiB  
Article
Sustainable Additive Manufacturing of IN718 Blades: Powder Recycling Strategies for Reduced Carbon Footprint
by Xunchen Liu, Yilun Wang, Tengyuan Fang, Wenxuan Wang, Zhiheng Hu, Yang Meng, Bo Huang, Yuan Fang, Lin Hua and Mingzhang Chen
Materials 2025, 18(6), 1344; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18061344 - 18 Mar 2025
Viewed by 427
Abstract
With the growing demand for aero-engine turbine blades, the resource consumption and environmental impact of superalloy powder in the manufacturing process have become increasingly significant. This study focuses on IN718 nickel-based superalloy powder and establishes a recycling method based on powder mixing. By [...] Read more.
With the growing demand for aero-engine turbine blades, the resource consumption and environmental impact of superalloy powder in the manufacturing process have become increasingly significant. This study focuses on IN718 nickel-based superalloy powder and establishes a recycling method based on powder mixing. By mixing sieved recycled powder with new powder at a 1:1 mass ratio, comprehensive characterization tests, including powder morphology analysis, particle size distribution, blade printability evaluation, mechanical property tests (tensile strength at both 25 °C and 650 °C), and microhardness measurements, demonstrated that the blended powder maintained performance characteristics comparable to new powder, with no statistically significant differences observed. Furthermore, this study introduces the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology into the field of superalloy powder recycling, providing a novel technical approach for sustainable development in aerospace manufacturing. A quantitative analysis of environmental impacts throughout the blended powder recycling process indicates that this method can reduce carbon emissions by 45% and energy consumption by 48%. Full article
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