Columnar Defects Research Articles

Chromium Coatings Applied to Zr Alloy Claddings by Cathodic Arc Ion Plating: Effect of Nitrogen Inclusion on Limiting Columnar Defects

The effect of nitrogen on an anticorrosive Cr coating for the Zr alloy cladding of nuclear fuel rods is investigated. It is aimed to reduce the number of typical columnar defects generated in Cr‐based coatings when using the cathodic arc ion plating method through reactive nitrogen inclusion and improve the oxidation resistance. Under a working pressure of 5 Pa and an arc current of 60 A in a chrome target, Cr‐based coatings are fabricated under varying N2/Ar gas flow ratios and substrate biases. The growth structures, crystallography, and corrosion behavior of the coatings are characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and potentiodynamic polarization tests. The Cr coating exhibits a typical columnar structure with voids, pores, and columnar defects. In comparison, through nitrogen inclusion, when the nitrogen content of the Cr‐based coating is less than 15 at%, the Cr(N) coating shows a “featureless structure” similar to an amorphous structure, resulting in fewer voids and defects. Potentiodynamic polarization tests reveal that the Cr(N) coating, featuring a distorted body‐centered cubic‐Cr structure, exhibits a significantly low corrosion current in the passive region. The protection efficiency of the Cr(N) coating is calculated to be 96.9%, confirming its superior substrate protection capabilities compared with chromium nitride coatings.

Crossover between Anomalous Peak Effects Induced by Splayed and Tilted Columnar Defects in Ba0.6K0.4Fe2As2

Crossover between Anomalous Peak Effects Induced by Splayed and Tilted Columnar Defects in Ba_0.6K_0.4Fe₂As₂

Research on the laser quenching performance of Ti6Al4V-7.3 %Cu alloys fabricated by wire-powder collaborative arc additive manufacturing

In this work, a new arc wire powder synergistic additive manufacturing method was used to prepare Ti6Al4V-7.3 %Cu alloys. This method overcomes the inherent large columnar grain defects in additive manufacturing and the segregation phenomenon of titanium alloys. Three laser quenching processes were also used to surface-treat the Ti6Al4V-7.3 %Cu alloys, and the hardness, microstructure and corrosion properties were studied. The results showed that laser quenching can effectively refine the grains and improve the strength and corrosion resistance. A β to α phase transition occurred, and Ti2Cu was formed. When the β phase is transformed into the α phase, there is an obvious Burgers orientation relationship between the two phases, and the orientation of the α phase in the quenched layer is more concentrated in the build direction (BD). With increasing laser quenching power, the Ti2Cu content in the alloy first increased and then decreased. When the quenching power was 690 W, the performance of the alloy was the best. Compared with those of the as-fabricated sample, the hardness increased by 150 HV, the grain size decreased from 10 µm to 1 µm, and the corrosion potential (Ecorr) increased by 0.195 V. α-Ti + Ti2Cu exhibited better corrosion resistance than β-Ti + Ti2Cu.

Tuning critical current density properties of YBa2Cu3O y thin films under longitudinal magnetic field by using heavy-ion irradiation

We attempted to improve the critical current density J c under a longitudinal magnetic field (LMF) by using columnar defects (CDs) tilted toward the transport current, where the CDs were produced with 80 MeV Xe ions at an incident angle(s) up to φ i = 87.5° relative to the c-axis of YBa2Cu3O y thin films. The formation of CDs extending throughout the film was confirmed by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. The CDs tilted at φ i = 87.5° weakened the magnetic field dependence of J c under the LMF, providing a J c higher than that of the unirradiated film in a high magnetic field. This is the first study to demonstrate that CDs and/or irradiation defects contribute to flux pinning under the LMF in high-T c superconductors. In addition, the J c under LMF was sensitive to the tilt angle of the CDs: the J c was reduced by CDs tilted not only at φ i = 0°, but also at a slightly larger angle relative to the ab-plane, i.e. φ i = 85°. The introduction of CDs rather disturbs the LMF effect because of the large volume passing through the film thickness, unless the tilt angles of the CDs are within the narrow angular region effective for the LMF effect.

Effect of time oscillating magnetic fields on the vortex dynamics of superconducting thin films with columnar defect and slit

Effect of time oscillating magnetic fields on the vortex dynamics of superconducting thin films with columnar defect and slit

Dissociation of composite Abrikosov vortices in two-band superconductors in a strong rf field

In several theoretical works, it was argued that under certain conditions Abrikosov vortices in multiband superconductors can split and exist in the form of fractional vortices, formed separately in superfluid condensates of different electron bands. Such vortices possess a fractional flux quantum, and these fractional vortices attract each other, trying to join into a composite vortex with the whole flux quantum ϕ0=h/2e. In the present work, we solve numerically the nonlinear dynamic equation for the composite vortex, settled in the pinning potential well of the columnar defect within a two-band superconductor, and exerted the rf Lorentz force action. We demonstrate that at high enough rf current amplitudes such composite Abrikosov vortices will dissociate into fractional ones and escape from the pinning potential well. The sequence of these events depends on the character of the pinning potential well, e.g., the radius of the pinning potential well. The possible manifestation of such kind transitions in rf electrodynamic characteristics, such as a complex rf resistivity and harmonics generation is calculated.

Peak effects induced by particle irradiations in 2H-NbSe2

Various peak effects in 2H-NbSe2 single crystals induced by particle irradiations were studied. 3 MeV proton irradiation magnified the peak effect induced by order–disorder (O-DO) transition of vortices, where the peak field shifts from high fields to low fields with increasing irradiation dose. For the peak effect in NbSe with splayed columnar defects (CDs), as the splayed angle increases, peak field gradually shifts from high fields to low fields. Numerical calculations have been conducted to investigate the mechanism of the peak effect. The calculated results exhibit excellent agreement with experimental observations. Analyses of field dependence of J reveal the formation of non-uniform J flow with increasing splayed angle, which plays a crucial role in inducing the self-field peak effect in superconductors with splayed CDs. In samples with symmetric splayed CDs with respect to the c-axis generated by 800 MeV Xe and 320 MeV Au ions, coexistence of O-DO transition-induced peak effect and self-field peak effect was observed. In the case of 320 MeV Au irradiated samples, when the splay angle is small, the two peak effects transform into a broad peak, which has similarity to the anomalous peak effect observed in iron-based superconductors. Interestingly, the broad anomalous peak effect is strongly suppressed when the external magnetic field is applied parallel to one of splayed CDs.

High-frequency vortex dynamics and losses in the mixed state of nanostructured superconductors with columnar defects

We suggest a theoretical model for the microwave response of Abrikosov vortices in nanostructured superconductors with columnar defects, which serve as effective pinning sites for vortices that are considered elastic strings. For this case, we suppose that microwave losses related to the vortex oscillations in a microwave field arise caused by viscous oscillations of vortex kinks, which connect different parts of the vortex line pinned on adjacent columnar defects and vortex segments pinned on these defects. We consider the case of inclined magnetic field H, which creates vortex staircases consisting of pinned vortex segments and vortex kinks inside the superconductor. In this case, rf losses due to viscous kinks oscillations under the microwave current action arise even at T = 0 if the inclination angle of the magnetic field θΗ, concerning the columnar pinning site axis (z axis), exceeds some locking angle value θL.

Thiocyanate-Stabilized Pseudo-cubic Perovskite CH(NH2)2PbI3 from Coincident Columnar Defect Lattices.

α-FAPbI3 (FA+ = CH(NH2)2+) with a cubic perovskite structure is promising for photophysical applications. However, α-FAPbI3 is metastable at room temperature, and it transforms to the δ-phase at a certain period of time at room temperature. Herein, we report a thiocyanate-stabilized pseudo-cubic perovskite FAPbI3 with ordered columnar defects (α'-phase). This compound has a √5ap × √5ap × ap tetragonal unit cell (ap: cell parameter of primitive perovskite cell) with a band gap of 1.91 eV. It is stable at room temperature in a dry atmosphere. Furthermore, the presence of the α'-phase in a mixed sample with the δ-phase drastically reduces the δ-to-α transition temperature measured on heating, suggesting the reduction of the nucleation energy of the α-phase or thermodynamic stabilization of the α-phase through epitaxy. The defect-ordered pattern in the α'-phase forms a coincidence-site lattice at the twinned boundary of the single crystals, thus hinting at an epitaxy- or strain-based mechanism of α-phase formation and/or stabilization. In this study, we developed a new strategy to control defects in halide perovskites and provided new insight into the stabilization of α-FAPbI3 by pseudo-halide and grain boundary engineering.

Topological nodal line in superfluid 3He and the Anderson theorem

Superconductivity and superfluidity with anisotropic pairing—such as d-wave in cuprates and p-wave in superfluid 3He—are strongly suppressed by impurities. Meanwhile, for applications, the robustness of Cooper pairs to disorder is highly desired. Recently, it has been suggested that unconventional systems become robust if the impurity scattering mixes quasiparticle states only within individual subsystems obeying the Anderson theorem that protects conventional superconductivity. Here, we experimentally verify this conjecture by measuring the temperature dependence of the energy gap in the polar phase of superfluid 3He. We show that oriented columnar non-magnetic defects do not essentially modify the energy spectrum, which has a Dirac nodal line. Although the scattering is strong, it preserves the momentum along the length of the columns and forms robust subsystems according to the conjecture. This finding may stimulate future experiments on the protection of topological superconductivity against disorder and on the nature of topological fermionic flat bands.

Peak Effect Induced by Heavy-ion Irradiation in 2H-NbSe2 Single Crystals

Peak effect has been studied in 2H-NbSe2 single crystals with splayed columnar defects introduced by 320 MeV Au irradiation. Through the magnetic relaxation experiments, correspondence between the peak effect and magnetic relaxation has been observed. However, by calculating the critical current density (J c) much before the first measurement using a SQUID magnetometer based on the relaxation rate S, it is found that the peak effect is present even at the very early stage of relaxation, indicating that it is caused by the magnetic field dependence of pinning force.

Angle-dependent Magnetoresistance of an Ordered Bose Glass of Vortices in YBa2Cu3O7-δ Thin Films with a Periodic Pinning Lattice

The competition between intrinsic disorder in superconducting YBa2Cu3O7−δ (YBCO) thin films and an ultradense triangular lattice of cylindrical pinning centers spaced at 30 nm intervals results in an ordered Bose glass phase of vortices. The samples were created by scanning the focused beam of a helium-ion microscope over the surface of the YBCO thin film to form columns of point defects where superconductivity was locally suppressed. The voltage–current isotherms reveal critical behavior and scale in the vicinity of the second-order glass transition. The latter exhibits a distinct peak in melting temperature (Tg) vs. applied magnetic field (Ba) at the magnetic commensurability field, along with a sharp rise in the lifetimes of glassy fluctuations. Angle-dependent magnetoresistance measurements in constant-Lorentz-force geometry unveil a strong increase in anisotropy compared to a pristine reference film where the density of vortices matches that of the columnar defects. The pinning is therefore, dominated by the magnetic-field component parallel to the columnar defects, exposing its one-dimensional character. These results support the idea of an ordered Bose glass phase.

Near-isotropic enhancement of the 20 K critical current of REBa2Cu3O7 coated conductors from columnar defects

Normal-incidence irradiation by 100 MeV Ag ions is used to improve flux pinning in previously optimised commercial REBCO tapes from the American Superconductor Corporation. We observe distinct critical-current anisotropy enhancements below and above 40 K. Above 40 K a strong c-axis peak appears in the angular dependence of the critical current, as is usually expected upon the introduction of columnar defects. The critical current is enhanced significantly but only for a limited range of field angles. Close to the parallel-field direction there is no enhancement or even a reduction in critical current. Below 40 K, on the other hand, the enhancement is much broader with respect to field angle, creating an almost isotropic response at 20 K, 3 T. The absence of a prominent c-axis peak does not indicate a lack of pinning, since the absolute value of the critical current still increases by a factor of 2.8 compared to an unirradiated sample. Instead, we postulate that pre-existing point-like pinning centres act to mediate an interaction between the existing planar and newly-introduced columnar pins, broadening both contributions. The point-like pins become less effective with increasing temperature as the coherence length increases, leading to a reduction in this interaction and a separation of the individual peaks relating to planar and columnar pins. At 20 K, we achieve an enhancement in the angular-minimum critical current by a factor of 2.7, in a material that had already been process-optimised for low-temperature pinning.

Microwave surface resistance in nanostructured high-Tc superconductor films

The impact of artificially created defects nanostructure, formed by implanted dielectric nanoparticles or irradiation defects, on microwave properties of high-Tc superconductor films is analyzed in the framework of phenomenological theory for microwave response of type-II superconductors. We have calculated the surface resistance for such a kind of nanostructured type-II superconductor film and investigated conditions for the emergence of nonlinear response caused by the entrance of microwave-induced vortices in the film's interior through its edges. The obtained results indicate that artificial defect nanostructure in the film's interior formed by point-like or columnar structural defects can significantly improve its microwave characteristics in both the Meissner and mixed states and also increase the threshold for the onset of nonlinear response.

Anisotropic high cycle fatigue property estimation for laser additive manufactured Ti6Al4V alloy dependence on tomographic imaging of defect population

Improvement of fatigue properties of additive manufactured metals is subject to the regulation of process-induced microstructure and defect population. Here, the high cycle fatigue properties of the annealed Ti6Al4V alloy manufactured by two types of laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) processes, in orthogonal sample orientations, were studied. The fatigue performance of this alloy was also estimated dependence on the investigation of microstructure and defects using optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and micro computed tomography. The results demonstrated that the fatigue properties were degraded by the negative effect of prior-β columnar grain boundaries and defects, wherein the surface keyhole governed the pronounced fatigue scatter and anisotropy due to its geometrical parameters and anisotropy severity along the building direction. The projection size √area of keyholes was well applied in the fatigue property estimation. The theorical fatigue limits were estimated individually due to the keyhole anisotropy, and provided conservatively in the improved Kitagawa-Takahashi diagram based on the modified El-Haddad model and the extreme size of keyholes. A relation derived from Paris law was proposed for fatigue life prediction, and to well establish a linear fitting correlating fatigue life with the projection size of surface keyholes and stress amplitude range with the achievement of the alleviation of fatigue anisotropy and scatter. The research provides a reference for the non-destructive estimation of fatigue properties in terms of tomographic imaging of defect population.

Ordered Bose Glass of Vortices in Superconducting YBa2Cu3O7-δ Thin Films with a Periodic Pin Lattice Created by Focused Helium Ion Irradiation.

The defect-rich morphology of YBa2Cu3O7−δ (YBCO) thin films leads to a glass-like arrangement of Abrikosov vortices which causes the resistance to disappear in vanishing current densities. This vortex glass consists of entangled vortex lines and is identified by a characteristic scaling of the voltage–current isotherms. Randomly distributed columnar defects stratify the vortex lines and lead to a Bose glass. Here, we report on the observation of an ordered Bose glass in a YBCO thin film with a hexagonal array of columnar defects with 30 nm spacings. The periodic pinning landscape was engineered by a focused beam of 30 keV He+ ions in a helium-ion microscope.

Morphology of Columnar Defects Dependent on Irradiation Direction in High-T c Superconductors

The morphologies of ion tracks tilted at different angles were systematically investigated by TEM observations on GdBCO coated conductors irradiated with 80 MeV Xe ions. The 80 MeV Xe ion beam along the <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">c</i> -axis produced shortly segmented (discontinuous) columnar defects (CDs) along the ion path throughout the sample. When the ion beam was tilted at slight angle of 20° from the <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">c</i> -axis, by contrast, not discontinuous CDs but thick and elongated (continuous) ones were formed in the irradiation direction. The formation of continuous CDs was observed to a deeper depth from the surface for the irradiation tilted at larger angle from the <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">c</i> -axis. The variation of the microstructures against the irradiation angles was caused by the anisotropic temperature spread during the formation of CDs, which was attributed to the anisotropic thermal diffusivity in high- <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">T</i> <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">c</sub> superconductors. We also demonstrated that discontinuous CDs could be formed at the irradiation angle of ±45° relative to the <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">c</i> -axis into YBCO thin films by using 50 MeV Kr ions, which was the irradiation condition estimated backwards from the directional dependent morphology of CDs.

Multi-scale defects in powder-based additively manufactured metals and alloys

• Multi-scale defects in AMed metals and alloys are classified. • The root causes and the key factors of the multi-scale defects are discussed. • The detection and modeling of the multi-scale defects are briefly introduced. • The effects of the multi-scale defects on mechanical properties are reviewed. • Various control and mitigation methods for the defects are proposed and discussed. Defect formation is a critical challenge for powder-based metal additive manufacturing (AM). Current understanding on the three important issues including formation mechanism, influence and control method of metal AM defects should be updated. In this review paper, multi-scale defects in AMed metals and alloys are identified and for the first time classified into three categories, including geometry related, surface integrity related and microstructural defects. In particular, the microstructural defects are further divided into internal cracks and pores, textured columnar grains, compositional defects and dislocation cells. The root causes of the multi-scale defects are discussed. The key factors that affect the defect formation are identified and analyzed. The detection methods and modeling of the multi-scale defects are briefly introduced. The effects of the multi-scale defects on the mechanical properties especially for tensile properties and fatigue performance of AMed metallic components are reviewed. Various control and mitigation methods for the corresponding defects, include process parameter control, post processing, alloy design and hybrid AM techniques, are summarized and discussed. From research aspect, current research gaps and future prospects from three important aspects of the multi-scale AM defects are identified and delineated.

Vortex Dynamics and Critical Current Densities in 90 K-phase and 60 K-phase YBa2Cu3O7−δ with Splayed Columnar Defects

Enhancement of critical current density (J c) was observed in YBa2Cu3O7−δ with splayed columnar defects (CDs). In the case of 90 K-phase YBa2Cu3O7−δ with splayed CDs, the enhanced J c drops suddenly at the depinning temperature of vortices from CDs (T dp), which is interpreted to be caused by the excitation of double kinks traversing neighboring CDs. In addition to the optimal 90 K-phase, where the superconductivity dominates, there is another stable 60 K-phase and other phases with different T c. This study reports temperature dependence of J c and the step-like decrease of J c in YBa2Cu3O7−δ with CDs and with different T c. Results show that the T dp is strongly related to the T c. However, additional entropic reduction of T dp may depend on parameters other than T c.

Peak Effects in 2H-NbSe2 Single Crystals Introduced with Artificial Defects by Particle Irradiation

Effects of splayed columnar defects in NbSe2 single crystals introduced by 800 MeV Xe and 320 MeV Au irradiations were studied. Peak effects have been observed for both samples. For 320 MeV Au irradiated samples, the peak field is found to increase with increasing the splay angle, while in samples irradiated by 800 MeV Xe the peak field shows an opposite dependence. The temperature dependence of the peak field for these two samples are also different. Based on the analysis of pinning force density, this different temperature dependence of the peak field may originate from the different pinning mechanisms.