Rapidly solidified alloys with a nominal composition of Al76.5Fe23.5 and Al75.8Co24.2 (in at%), corresponding to the Al13Fe4 and Al13Co4 phases, were produced by a melt spinning technique. The microstructure and phase composition of the as-spun and heat-treated ribbons were examined by X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The as-spun ribbons consisted of columnar grains with an average size of 1–2 μm, which increased by a factor of 2 after applied heat treatment. The Al13Fe4 as-spun ribbon comprised of two phases: grains of the Al13Fe4 phase surrounded by solid solution of Al, transformed into a single monoclinic Al13Fe4 phase after annealing. The as-spun Al13Co4 ribbons had a multiphase structure. A decagonal quasicrystalline D-phase, the monoclinic M-Al13Co4 phase, and the Al9Co2 phase were identified in their microstructure. After the heat treatment, the mixture of the orthorhombic O-Al13Co4 phase and grains of monoclinic Y-Al13Co4 were observed. The investigations of catalytic properties were performed for the phenylacetylene hydrogenation reaction using pulverized ribbons in the initial state and after annealing. The degree of conversion was in the range of 8–27% and increased with the increasing reaction temperature. The highest selectivity to styrene was obtained for the Al13Fe4 alloy in the as-spun state.

In the present study, nano-sized cuboid-shaped particles in Mg–Nd–Y are studied by means of Cs-corrected atomic-scale high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy. The structure of the cuboid-shaped phase is identified to be yttrium (major component) and neodymium atoms in face-centered cubic arrangement without the participation of Mg. The lattice parameter a=5.15 Å. During isothermal aging at 225°C, Mg3(Nd,Y) precipitates adhere to surface (100) planes of the cuboid-shaped particles with the orientation relationship: $[100]_{{{\rm Mg}_{{\rm 3}} {\rm RE}}} \,/\,\,/\,[100]_{{{\rm Cuboid}}} $ and $[310]_{{{\rm Mg}_{{\rm 3}} {\rm RE}}} \,/\,\,/\,[012]_{{{\rm Cuboid}}} $ . The fully coherent interfaces between the precipitates and the cuboid-shaped phases are reconstructed and categorized into two types: $(400)_{{{\rm Mg}_{{\rm 3}} {\rm RE}}} $ interface and $(200)_{{{\rm Mg}_{{\rm 3}} {\rm RE}}} $ interface.

The fracture strength of β-Mg17Al12 and τ-Mg32(Al, Zn)49 intermetallic coatings on AZ91E Mg alloy was investigated using a nanoindentation-based microcantilever bending technique. A set of micrometer-sized cantilevers with varying dimensions were machined using focused ion beam milling. A nanoindenter was then used to apply an increasing bending load until each cantilever fractured. The corresponding linear-elastic finite element models were created to simulate the deflection of the cantilevers and the fracture strength σm was derived from the models. The results showed that the fracture occurred at the root of the cantilever where the tensile stresses were highest; the average fracture strengths of the β-Mg17Al12 and τ-Mg32(Al, Zn)49 phases were 1.76 and 1.05 GPa, respectively. The potential sources of error are also discussed.

The value of Nitinol (Ni-Ti) in the field of medicine has proven to be far greater than just as the simple “springy metal” it was once considered to be. In particular, its use in vascular implants highlights many valuable yet subtle behaviors, including a “biased stiffness,” enhanced fatigue resistance, low magnetic susceptibility, and good biocompatibility. Nitinol today is nearly as well known to medical-device designers and physicians as are stainless steel and titanium, and it is the enabling ingredient in a growing number of successful and profitable life-saving devices.