Prediction of Epitaxial Grain Growth in Single-Track Laser Melting of IN718 Using Integrated Finite Element and Cellular Automaton Approach

The mechanical properties of selective laser melting (SLM) components are fundamentally dependent on their microstructure. Accordingly, the present study proposes an integrated simulation framework consisting of a three-dimensional (3D) finite element model and a cellular automaton model for predicting the epitaxial grain growth mode in the single-track SLM processing of IN718. The laser beam scattering effect, melt surface evolution, powder volume shrinkage, bulk heterogeneous nucleation, epitaxial growth, and initial microstructure of the substrate are considered. The simulation results show that during single-track SLM processing, coarse epitaxial grains are formed at the melt–substrate interface, while fine grains grow at the melt–powder interface with a density determined by the intensity of the heat input. During the solidification stage, the epitaxial grains and bulk nucleated grains grow toward the top surface of the melt pool along the temperature gradient vectors. The rate of the epitaxial grain growth varies as a function of the orientation and size of the partially melted grains at the melt–substrate boundary, the melt pool size, and the temperature gradient. This is observed that by increasing heat input from 250 J/m to 500 J/m, the average grain size increases by ~20%. In addition, the average grain size reduces by 17% when the initial substrate grain size decreases by 50%. In general, the results show that the microstructure of the processed IN718 alloy can be controlled by adjusting the heat input, preheating conditions, and initial substrate grain size.

Fabrication of Spark Plasma Sintering on Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbTiO3 Ceramics Layers Prepared by Tape Casting and TGG Method

The spark plasma sintering technique was used to fabricate ceramics from Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3– PbTiO3 ceramic layers which were prepared by tape casting and TGG method used BaTiO3 templates as seeds. During heat treatment, epitaxial grain growth occurred on the BaTiO3 surfaces and formed <001> textured lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate, Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.325PbTiO3 (PMN-32.5PT) ceramics. The phase compositions and microstructure were investigated. The results indicated that this method was an alternative sintering technology to synthesize dense lead-based relaxor ferroelectric ceramics.

Improved crystallinity and optical properties of AlOx thin films by a ZnO interlayer

To ascertain how the substrate influences the quality of AlOx films, AlOx films were grown on a bare glass and a ZnO-deposited glass in this study. By applying a ZnO interlayer before the AlOx deposition, AlOx films exhibited polycrystalline structure rather than amorphous as obtained by sputtering on a bare glass. For AlOx film on the ZnO-deposited glass, the transmission electron microscopy observation showed the coexistence of amorphous and polycrystalline structure, which reveals that the (122) plane in AlOx film is parallel to the surface of the substrate. The grains of the AlOx film grown on a ZnO-deposited glass comprising many small crystallites aggregated with sizes varying between 38 and 54 nm with irregular grain shapes. Besides, the ZnO interlayer with different deposition parameters had a significant effect in the diffusion interface between AlOx and ZnO. The ZnO interlayer could improve the optical transmission of AlOx films, especially when ZnO films are prepared with a high power of 200 W. Therefore, the glass/ZnO may be a good alternative substrate for producing high-quality AlOx films by controlling the epitaxial grain growth. The AlOx films grown on ZnO-deposited glasses have very good qualities in terms of crystallinity and optical properties.

Competition between strain and interface energy during epitaxial grain growth in Ag films on Ni(001)

Epitaxial Grain Growth (EGG) is an orientation-selective process that can occur in polycrystalline thin films on single crystal substrates. EGG is driven by minimization of crystallographically anisotropic free energies. One common driving force for EGG is the reduction of the film/substrate interfacial energy. We have carried out experiments on polycrystalline Ag films on Ni(001) substrates. The orientation dependence of the Ag/Ni interfacial energy has been previously calculated using the embedded atom method. Under some conditions, EGG experiments lead to the (111) orientations calculated to be interface- and surface-energy-minimizing. However, when Ag films are deposited on Ni(001) at low temperature, EGG experiments consistently find that (111) oriented grains are consumed by grains with (001) orientations predicted to have much higher interface and surface energy. The large elastic anisotropy of Ag can account for this discrepancy. Strain energy minimization favors growth of (001) grains and can supersede minimization of interfacial energy if sufficient strain is present and if the film is initially unable to relieve the strain by plastic deformation.

Heteroepitaxial growth of chemically derived ex situ Ba2YCu3O7−x thin films

Heteroepitaxial growth of Ba2YCu3O7−x (BYC) thin films prepared by postdeposition annealing on (001) LaAlO3 was characterized by TEM and x-ray diffraction studies of specimens rapidly cooled from various points in the growth heat treatment. Heteroepitaxial nucleation of BYC occurred between 720 and 770 °C during heating at 25 °C/min to the annealing temperature of 830 °C. The c-axis normal BYC rapidly coalesced into a continuous film with nearly complete coverage of the substrate surface after growth of a film of several unit cells thickness. The experimental results were not consistent with purely solid phase heteroepitaxial nucleation and growth or epitaxial grain growth, mechanisms for microstructural evolution of other chemically derived epitaxial oxide thin films. The nature of the transformation and the microstructure of the final superconducting films were consistent, instead, with growth of epitaxial BYC from a liquid phase that is present transiently during the anneal. This hypothesis was supported by thermal analysis results obtained from the precursor material of which the films are composed prior to transformation to BYC.

Evolution of phases and microstructure in optical waveguides of lithium niobate

The microstructural development of Ti: LiNbO3 optical waveguides, as a function of annealing time and temperature, was studied by x-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and Auger electron spectroscopy. The microstructure evolves in three major stages: oxidation, precipitation and abnormal grain growth, and interdiffusion. The deposited Ti film is oxidized at low temperatures through a series of intermediate TiOx phases until complete oxidation to rutile TiO2 occurs at ∼500 °C. At intermediate temperatures, 500-800 °C, epitaxial precipitates of LiNb3O8 are formed at the rutile/LiNbO3 interface. At this stage abnormal grain growth occurs in the rutile film, causing multivariant epitaxy where all of the grains have a single orientation relationship to the substrate. Subsequent interdiffusion between TiO2 and LiNb3O8 produces a solid solution with the rutile structure which, at these temperatures, appears to coexist in equilibrium with the underlying lithium niobate substrate. This rutile solid solution serves as the source of Ti in the final stage of interdiffusion, which occurs only at higher temperatures (≳ 1000 °C), and leads to consumption of the rutile layer by the substrate. Structural models are discussed for epitaxial grain growth and interdiffusion.

Energy Minimization During Epitaxial Grain Growth: Strain VS. Interfacial Energy

ABSTRACTWe have investigated Epitaxial Grain Growth (EGG) in polycrystalline Ag films on Ni (001) substrates. EGG is driven by minimization of crystallographically anisotropie free energies such as the film/substrate interfacial energy and the film strain. Under some conditions EGG results in the preferred growth of the (111) epitaxial orientations that are predicted to minimize the interfacial energy. However, when Ag films are deposited on Ni (001) at low temperature, EGG experiments consistently find that (111) oriented grains are consumed by grains with (001) orientations predicted to have much higher interface and surface energy. The large elastic anisotropy of Ag can account for this discrepancy. The film thickness and the deposition temperature (relative to the grain growth temperature) determine whether strain energy or interface energy minimization dominates orientation evolution during grain growth.