Rare-Earth Alloying Effects in Advanced Metallic Materials

Dear Colleagues,

Rare-earth (RE) elements have emerged as powerful alloying additions for tailoring the microstructure and enhancing the performance of advanced metallic materials. Their unique physicochemical properties enable significant improvements in strength, ductility, corrosion resistance, and functional performance across a wide range of alloys, including steels, copper foils, aluminum alloys, and high-temperature superalloys.

The results of recent studies have demonstrated how rare-earth (RE) additions (e.g., Y³⁺, Ce³⁺, La³⁺) can significantly improve microstructural uniformity, refine grains, and enhance mechanical and electrochemical properties in metallic systems such as electrolytic copper foils, steels, and nickel-based superalloys. Additionally, synergistic processing strategies—such as cryogenic deformation, aging treatments, and electrodeposition—combined with RE alloying offer promising pathways for designing next-generation high-performance materials.

This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive platform for recent advances in understanding the role of rare-earth elements—such as yttrium (Y), cerium (Ce), lanthanum (La), and other RE ions—in controlling microstructure evolution and optimizing material properties. Particular attention is given to mechanisms such as grain refinement, texture regulation, precipitation behavior, and defect engineering, which are critical for achieving superior mechanical and functional performance.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Rare-earth alloying effects in steels, copper, aluminum, and superalloys
• Microstructure evolution and grain refinement mechanisms
• Influence of RE elements on mechanical properties and deformation behavior
• Corrosion resistance and environmental stability
• Electrochemical deposition and surface engineering with RE elements
• Synergistic effects of processing techniques (e.g., rolling, aging, annealing) and RE additions
• Advanced characterization and modeling of RE-modified materials

By bringing together contributions from academia and industry, this Special Issue seeks to deepen the fundamental understanding of rare-earth alloying and promote innovative approaches for the development of high-performance metallic materials for structural, electronic, and energy-related applications.

Dr. Jiayi Zhang
Dr. Yuwei Ye
Guest Editors

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