Developing surface coatings to enhance material properties is crucial in modern industry. Cladding, where a superior material is applied to a base metal, is one effective approach. This study investigates the macro and microstructural features, as well as corrosion and wear resistance, of super austenitic stainless steel cladding on carbon steel via gas tungsten arc welding. It emphasizes how welding parameters, especially travel speed, affect the process. Carbon steel plates served as the base, with AWS A5.9 filler used for cladding. Three travel speeds were tested to observe their impact on dilution ratio, microstructure, and mechanical properties. The research included welding, metallographic preparation, microhardness testing, electrochemical corrosion testing, and wear testing. Results indicated that lower travel speeds improved the dilution ratio and, consequently, the properties of the clad layer. The heat‐affected zone presented a two‐phase microstructure with dendritic austenite and δ‐ferrite. The cladding layer's hardness exceeded that of the base metal, with minimal variation across different travel speeds. Overall, the clad layers showed significant improvements in wear and corrosion resistance. The clad layer exhibited a strong metallurgical bond in the cladding.

To produce bio‐based carbon fibers (CFs), evolution of structure is studied for lyocell fiber (LF), which is a cellulose fiber prepared by dry‐jet wet spinning, subjected to thermal stabilization and carbonization. The effect of stabilization temperature and time on composition, structure, and thermal stability of LF is investigated using elemental analysis, Thermogravimetry (TG) and X‐ray diffraction. The content of C in the stabilized LF increases with increasing stabilization temperature and time. The original cellulose II crystal in LF collapses when the carbon content reaches 53.6% during stabilization. At 240°C for 30 min, the carbon yield at 700°C rises due to the thermal stabilization of LF, reaching a maximum value of 53.17%. LF‐based CF, with a tensile strength of 546 MPa and a tensile modulus of 56.8 GPa, is continuously prepared by carbonizing the stabilized LF at 1350°C.

Electron beam powder bed fusion (EB‐PBF) offers the possibility to tailor local thermal histories via electromagnetic beam steering, yet the resulting columnar to equiaxed transition (CET) in Ni‐based superalloys remains incompletely quantified. In this work, the CET in IN718 processed by spot‐melting EB‐PBF is systematically mapped using a microstructure analytics framework built on orientation‐corrected pseudo‐3D EBSD. Three processing degrees of freedom are explored: beam current, dwell time, and scanning strategy. A global coordinate system is enforced across three orthogonal cross sections, enabling consistent evaluation of grain morphology, crystallographic texture, and lack of fusion (LOF) porosity via percentile‐based aspect ratio, grain size, misorientation, and pore‐fraction descriptors. At fixed beam energy, comparison of structured (snake, single‐direction) and nonstructured (single‐direction‐shifted, stochastic) patterns demonstrates that increasing spatial and temporal randomness disrupts thermal field coherence, suppresses epitaxial grain extension, and promotes fine equiaxed morphologies. Extending the analysis to a two‐dimensional beam‐current‐dwell‐time matrix under stochastic spot melting, experimentally determined process maps reveal a narrow processing window in which defect‐lean, equiaxed, and nearly isotropic microstructures are obtained. This window is bounded on one side by insufficient energy input causing LOF defects, and on the other by excessive energy input driving strong morphological and crystallographic texture and abnormal grain growth. The results demonstrate that dwell time primarily governs crystallographic texture, whereas beam current and dwell time jointly control grain morphology and defect formation.

The tribological behaviour and thermal performance of as‐received 60NiTi alloy for load‐bearing and high‐temperature applications were investigated in this study. A linear reciprocating tribometer was used to evaluate the effects of applied load and temperature on 60NiTi alloy sliding against Al 2 O 3 under dry and water‐lubricated conditions. Initial surface characterisation confirmed the ordered intermetallic microstructure, consistent with characteristic x‐ray diffraction (XRD) peaks. The results showed that adhesive and abrasive wear dominated material loss under dry sliding at room temperature, leading to the highest wear volume (Wv = 2.2145 mm 3 ), whereas water lubrication reduced friction and produced moderate wear. At elevated temperatures (above 200°C), oxidative wear became the predominant mechanism, stabilising the sliding interface, lowering friction coefficients ( µ ≤0.33) and significantly reducing wear, with the lowest wear observed at 600°C. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and XRD analyses confirmed phase stability, while surface morphology and compositional analyses highlighted the protective role of oxide layers in improving wear resistance. These findings demonstrate that thermally driven oxidation, rather than adhesive or abrasive wear, governs the superior tribological performance of 60NiTi alloy at elevated temperatures, supporting its suitability for demanding high‐temperature applications.

Thermal spraying is an established technology in the coating industry offering high deposition rates and a broad range of processable materials. In addressing the scale‐up of proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers, thermal spraying presents a promising solution for cell component production, despite several challenges that need to be overcome: Firstly, the substrate material is typically characterized by a relatively thin thickness and complex geometries. Secondly, the coatings often exhibit process‐related roughness. This study demonstrates that this rough coating can be beneficial in enhancing the connection between the bipolar plate (BPP) and the porous transport layer (PTL). The developed coldgas sprayed BPP–PTL coating system was tested in an electrochemical accelerated stress test (AST) as well as in an intermittent long‐term single‐cell test. The results indicate that the BPP–PTL coating system is electrochemically stable during the AST, and subsequent measurements of electrical resistance confirm that the interface is preserved from severe oxidation. In the long‐term test, it was demonstrated that a single cell could be operated with a cell voltage of U cell = 1.9 V at a current density of i = 2 A/cm 2 over 3 months. For the first time, a fully cold gas sprayed BPP–PTL coating system has been tested in a single‐cell test for proton exchange membrane water electrolysis applications.

This study introduces a newly developed experimental setup for investigating the influence of controlled atmospheric conditions on single‐grain scratching of Ti–6Al–4V using natural diamond grains. The setup enables experiments under air, argon, and argon–silane atmospheres, allowing targeted investigation of oxygen‐related effects on material removal. High‐speed imaging captures chip formation and chip‐grain interactions during the process, while scanning electron microscopy and metallographic analysis provide complementary information on grain condition and material adhesion. Validation experiments demonstrate reliable and repeatable scratching under oxygen‐reduced and oxygen‐free conditions. Within the investigated parameter range, the measured normal and tangential forces show no clearly distinguishable systematic dependence on atmosphere, although potential effects may be masked by variations in grain geometry and effective depth of cut. In contrast, pronounced differences in chip adhesion behavior are observed. In ambient air, rapid chip detachment is promoted, associated with formation of a thin passivating titanium oxide layer. Under oxygen‐reduced conditions, suppressed oxidation leads to increased adhesion and local material accumulation on the grain. Overall, the results confirm the suitability of the methodology for in situ investigation of atmosphere‐dependent mechanisms and provide a foundation for future studies on oxygen effects in grinding and related machining processes.

Mechanical metamaterials are hierarchical structures that can be designed to possess exotic properties such as auxeticity, tunable stiffness, and bistability by optimizing the geometry of their microscale unit cells. This work develops a computational framework in which an arbitrary set of homogenized stress–strain goal points is defined, and topology optimization is employed to synthesize a unit cell to achieve the desired response. The framework extends the current state‐of‐the‐art by incorporating highly nonlinear phenomena such as internal contact, snap‐through buckling, and bistability in a single approach to capture a wide range of mechanical responses without the need for generating datasets, tuning parameters, or possessing prior knowledge of the optimal solution. Unit cells are generated for three challenging nonlinear responses and their behavior is validated via mechanical testing. The framework will enable the generation of highly nonlinear unit cells for metamaterials in applications such as morphing structures, soft robotics, and energy absorbing materials.

Ti6Al4V‐extra‐low interstitial (ELI) is favored for biomedical applications but is restricted by low wear and corrosion resistance. To overcome these limitations, oxide‐based surface modifications can be applied to improve the mechanical and electrochemical properties. In this study, Al, Zn, and Zr oxide coatings, as well as their Ag‐doped counterparts, were produced on Ti6Al4V ELI alloys fabricated by laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing (LPBF‐AM) using the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. The structural and morphological features of the coatings were analyzed by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), SEM, and a 3D profilometer, while Vickers hardness measurements were also performed. Tribological properties were examined using a pin‐on‐disk tester, and corrosion behavior was evaluated by potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in artificial saliva fluid. The results demonstrated that the Ag‐doped Zr coating exhibited the superior overall performance, reducing the wear rate to 0.37 × 10 −5 mm 3 /Nm compared to 3.5 × 10 −5 mm 3 /Nm for the untreated alloy. Furthermore, electrochemical tests revealed that Ag doping significantly enhanced corrosion resistance, with the Ag–Zr coating achieving a protection efficiency of approximately 86% and reducing the corrosion current density to 4.4 from 32.6 μA·cm −2 observed in the untreated substrate.

The current study involves the fabrication of some melilite‐type ceramics, by recycling industrial slag waste with different transition metal‐oxides like ZnO, CuO, CoO, and NiO. These metals were incorporated in the T 1 position of melilite structure (X 2 T 1 T 2 2 A 7 ). The stoichiometric compositions of desired compounds were designed and sintered at 1100°C, 1150°C, and 1200°C. Additionally, comparative studies were performed by evaluating the qualitative phase analysis, microstructure, and the physical, mechanical, optical, and electrical properties of sintered ceramics. The results showed that the desired phases (Ca 2 ZnSi 2 O 7 , Ca 2 CoSi 2 O 7 , Ca 2 NiSi 2 O 7 , and Ca 2 CuSi 2 O 7 ) were successfully prepared, and the optimum firing temperature for phases’ formation was 1150°C. The physical properties were enhanced with temperature elevation, where Ca 2 CuSi 2 O 7 exhibited the highest bulk‐density (4.20 g cm −3 ) and lowest apparent‐porosity (10.06%) after sintering at 1150°C. The compression strength was increased with rising sintering temperature. The Ca 2 CuSi 2 O 7 sample revealed the highest compressive strength (21 MPa), whereas the Ca 2 ZnSi 2 O 7 sample displayed the lowest one (8 MPa). An enhancement in electrical properties was noticed for the sample that contains Cu metal. For the diffuse reflectance spectra ( R ), all samples except CU sample displayed reflectance less than 43% in UV region, which can extend their applications as smart windows, UV shielding, and smart optoelectronic devices.