Acta Materialia Book Series – serie

Introduction to Heterostructured Materials provides updates on the historical perspective of the development of these materials, which is followed by a review of the basic background on mechanical behaviors and properties of metals and alloys. Next, both the definition and the fundamental principles and deformation behavior of heterostructured materials are covered, as well as their processing and properties and various design principles. The book supports graduate students and researchers entering this field, senior scientists who are already working in this field, engineers in the manufacturing industry, and professors who are teaching advanced materials and technologies.

Heterostructured materials not only possess superior mechanical and/or physical properties that are not accessible to their conventional homogeneous counterparts, but they are also conducive to large-scale industrial production at low cost.

Metals as Clean Fuels explores the innovative use of metals as a sustainable energy source. It presents a scalable selective leaching method to activate metal fuels by increasing their surface-to-volume ratio, significantly enhancing their reactivity with water for hydrogen and heat generation. This approach positions metal fuels as a superior alternative to fossil fuels, offering higher energy density and the crucial benefit of generating energy without CO2 emissions. Additionally, the book addresses key questions and working principles in its initial chapters before delving into the energy densities of various metals, from zinc to aluminum.Chapters 8 and 9 focus on novel sustainable fabrication methods for metal/metal nanocomposites, while Chapter 10 introduces an advanced methodology for analyzing porous material systems. This monograph is a pioneering work in discussing nanostructured metals as clean fuels, with the potential to drive significant advancements in energy applications and material science research.

High Strength Steels: Microstructure, Properties, and Applications summarizes the historical context and recent research directions of new high strength steels including high-strength low alloyed steel (HSLA), dual-phase (DP) steel, transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) assisted steel, quenching and partitioning (Q&P) steel, medium-Mn steel, high-Mn twinning induced plasticity (TWIP) steel, bainitic steel, martensitic steel and maraging steel. In particular, the state-of-the-art understanding of the processing-microstructure-property relationship of these high-strength steels is the focus of this book. More importantly, the authors’ understanding on the deformation mechanisms of high-strength steels, which is based on their extensive research works over the last two decades, is thoroughly incorporated. Engineering applications of these materials are also discussed.High Strength Steels is suitable for new entrants or those working in related fields in academia and R&D in the subject areas of materials science and engineering and metallurgy.

Stimuli-responsive Actuating Materials for Micro-robotics examines the latest stimuli-responsive actuating materials with high potential for applications in microrobotics. The material science, functionalities, performance, and synthesis of these materials are reviewed. Then, the common enabling technologies for material and signal integration such as 3/4D printing and interface engineering, and chemo-mechanics modeling of the materials are discussed. Finally, there is a chapter that looks at the prospects of materials for micro-robotics, including case studies for specific applications such as self-folding origami robots and robots for micro-surgery. This book is suitable for researchers and practitioners working in the subject areas of materials science and engineering.

Materials Informatics: Molecules, Crystals, and Beyond discusses the role of information science in aiding the discovery and interpretation of multiscale relationships that are critical to materials discovery, design, and optimization.The book anchors Materials Informatics as being at the intersection of thermodynamics and information theory. This perspective offers a framework for navigating the multidimensional complexities of modern materials science. The use of informatics in a wide array of applications is discussed, ranging from thermodynamic modeling to autonomous experimentation. Key challenges and strategies in Materials Informatics are explored, including the development of physics-/chemistry-informed data representations of structure and properties, the application of machine learning for structure and property prediction and screening for targeted properties, and the utilization of techniques such as graphics recognition, foundational artificial intelligence, and statistically driven visualization tools in deciphering processing-structure-property-performance relationships in materials.The book provides a valuable reference for academic and industrial researchers, as well as graduate students, interested in the role of informatics as an integral part of materials science and engineering.

Heterostructured Metals: Processing, Interfaces, Defect Structures and Deformation Mechanisms provides a comprehensive study of defect structures and deformation mechanisms in interphase boundary-dominated nano and hetero structured metallic systems, along with examples and perspectives on future research directions and technological applications in this topical area. Sections cover fundamental descriptions of atomic structures, thermodynamics, the kinetics of defect-interface interactions, and the relationship between mechanical behavior and interfacial defect structures. Finally, state-of-the-art atomistic and meso-scale computational methods, experimental nanomechanical and in situ characterization of deformation mechanisms and material syntheses using physical vapor deposition, melt, and deformation processing are also described.Users will also find valuable examples of a broad range of model and engineering alloy systems covering cubic and non-cubic crystal structures.

Mechanical Aspects of High Entropy Alloys: Fundamentals, Modeling, and Properties is structured by the sub-category of mechanical behavior, covering almost all key themes in this area, including strength, ductility, creep, fracture, fatigue, small-scale mechanical behavior, strengthening mechanisms, deformation mechanisms, and serrated plastic flow. For each individual topic, the focus is geared towards the distinctive characteristics of high-entropy alloys (HEA).

This book is a valuable resource to advanced students and researchers in need of an entry point to the field of HEAs, and experienced academic and industrial researchers who wish to either deepen their knowledge or gain inspiration during the process of their HEA research.