Columnar Grains Research Articles

Enhanced Mechanical Properties with Ag Addition in Electroplated Ni-Sn Solder Joints: Sub-10 Micron Bond Thickness

Keywords: Micro-bump; Microstructure; Intermetallic compounds; Mechanical properties; thermocompression bondingThe advancement of electronic devices has garnered more extensive attention towards three-dimensional integrated circuit (3D-IC) technology due to microbump size reduction and increased power density. Microbumps play an important role in driving the development of this technology, especially in 3D chip-stacking involving multiple reflow processes. The reduction in microbump height spotlights the presence of intermetallic compounds (IMCs). In comparison to traditional ball grid array (BGA) solder joints, microbumps with smaller solder volumes exhibit a predominant fraction of IMCs at solder joints, especially with microbump dimensions potentially shrinking to less than 10 micrometers.The interface reaction within confined spaces has become a critical concern. Mechanical properties will be dominated by IMC properties rather than solder characteristics. In conventional Cu/Sn/Cu solder joints, grain coarsening and prolonged reflowing times, which result in IMC collisions from opposing substrates, forming columnar grains with a uniform orientation, make the solder joint less reliable. Furthermore, the Cu3Sn layer in Cu/Sn/Cu microbumps presents another challenges, indicating the formation of Kirkendall voids, increasing the risk of brittle interface fractures.This study investigates the mechanical reliability and microstructure of two sub-10um sandwiched structures: Cu/Ni/Sn/Ni/Cu and Cu/Ni/Sn-3.5Ag/Ni/Cu. In the 3D-IC manufacturing process, solder joints will experience multiple reflow processing. Different reflow heat treatment process to achieve different fractions of Ni3Sn4 IMCs were performed on both sandwiched structure. Despite the formation of internal voids due to volume shrinkage in Ni/Sn solder joints, the addition of silver in the solder, forming Ag3Sn, effectively fills these voids. The long-time reflowed sample showed outstanding mechanical properties via the addition of silver in solder. In this study, the influence of silver addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the overall joints under identical reflow conditions, the fracture path observation after shear test were investigated. The growth mechanism of Ag3Sn and its distribution in the solder would be further explored and addressed. Figure 1

Microstructural evolution in a one-directional phase transforming ultrahigh temperature ceramic laminate composite

A metal-ceramic multilayer composite composed of Zr and ZrC films was magnetron sputter deposited and annealed at 1325 °C to demonstrate its ability to phase transform into a single phase, substoichiometric ultrahigh temperature ceramic carbide. The pre-annealed laminate microstructure comprised columnar grains for both the Zr and ZrC layers, common to thin film deposition. Upon annealing, the diffusion of carbon facilitated the precipitation of multiple equiaxed carbide grains that consumed the former Zr layers. As this carbon diffused from ZrC, it resulted in the carbide undergoing a lattice contraction where the elastic strains facilitated a decohesion between the carbide grain boundaries. This decohesion is shown to be mitigated by increasing the ratio of the initial ZrC layer-to-Zr layer thicknesses. Finally, oxygen, found to be a minor impurity in the ethylene hydrocarbon gas used to reactively deposit ZrC, facilitated irregular zirconia precipitation within the evolving microstructure during the anneal.

Study on Microstructure and High-Temperature Mechanical Properties of Al-Mg-Sc-Zr Alloy Processed by LPBF

Al-Mg-Sc-Zr alloy processed via laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is poised for significant application in aerospace, where its high-temperature capabilities are paramount for the safety and longevity of engineered structures. This study offers a systematic examination of the alloy’s high-temperature tensile properties in relation to its microstructure and precipitate phases, utilizing experimental approaches. The LPBF-processed Al-Mg-Sc-Zr alloy features a bimodal microstructure, with columnar grains in the melt pool’s interior and equiaxed grains along its boundary, conferring exceptional properties. The application of well-calibrated processing parameters has yielded an alloy with an impressive relative density of 99.8%, nearly fully dense. Following a thermal treatment of 350 °C for 4 h, the specimens were subjected to tensile tests at both room and elevated temperatures. The data reveal that the specimens exhibit a tensile strength of 560.6 MPa and an elongation of 11.1% at room temperature. A predictable decline in tensile strength with rising temperature is observed: at 100 °C, 150 °C, 200 °C, and 250 °C; the respective strengths and elongations are 435.1 MPa and 25.8%, 269.4 MPa and 20.1%, 102.8 MPa and 47.9%, 54.0 MPa and 72.2%. These findings underpin the technical rationale for employing LPBF-processed Al-Mg-Sc-Zr alloy in aerospace applications.

Microstructures and mechanical properties of Co-based Elgiloy fabricated by wire arc additive manufacturing

Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) has emerged as a promising method for additive manufacturing due to its high efficiency and cost-effectiveness. This study aimed to fabricate Co-based Elgiloy by WAAM based on cold metal transfer technology. An 18-layers thin alloy wall was prepared. The microstructure, texture and mechanical properties of the as-deposited samples were investigated. Results indicated that the prepared alloy had good formability and was composed of a single face center cubic structure. The tensile properties of the alloy exhibited anisotropy due to the large number of columnar grains growing along the building direction in the alloy. The tensile samples along the building direction exhibited lower yield strength but better elongation due to the columnar grain growth direction and the softening effect of the remelted zone.

Effect of microstructural heterogeneity and grain morphology on the annealing behavior of additively manufactured metastable β titanium alloy

Abstract Titanium alloys fabricated by additive manufacturing usually exhibit significant heterogeneity in grain size and morphology. Recrystallization treatment is an effective approach to alter the microstructure and achieve a more homogeneous structure. In this study, recrystallization and grain growth behaviours of a metastable β titanium alloy fabricated by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) and direct energy deposition (DED) were investigated. The LPBF sample developed a chessboard-like microstructure, with considerable variations in grain size and morphology across molten pools. Recrystallization started from the boundary of these pools, where grains were finer and the stored energy was higher. The DED sample had a heterogeneous structure with alternating layers of equiaxed grains and columnar grains oriented with <100> along the building direction. Results obtained from in-situ EBSD demonstrated that grain growth occurred preferentially in regions with fine equiaxed grains, and regions with columnar grains showed limited grain growth due to the relatively lower driving force and mobility.

Reproducing wrought grain structure in additive IN718 through nanosecond laser induced cavitation

Pulsed laser assisted additive manufacturing has been demonstrated as a promising technology for controlling grain structure in 3D-printing processes. The integration of a nanosecond laser onto a wire arc additive manufacturing tool has enabled the localized printing of Inconel 718 with grain sizes meeting ASTM 9 standards (average measured grain size of 13.7μm) for wrought material within a single bead under solidification conditions that would otherwise produce 340μm columnar grains. The observed grain refinement holds promise, provided scale up is possible, for overcoming the highly anisotropic mechanical properties and microcracking associated with large columnar grains of Inconel 718 that have long stood in the way of leveraging the advantages of direct energy deposition printing techniques of difficult to machine alloys. Experiments on large bead sizes allowed for decoupling surface versus bulk nanosecond laser/liquid metal interaction mechanisms to determine that the source of the observed grain refinement is the collapse of cavitation bubbles originating from acoustic waves generated by momentum transfer into the melt of an ablation plasma. Additionally, experiments that increased the cavitation bubble density within the mushy zone during solidification by tuning the nanosecond laser scan path went beyond the 25 times reduction in grain size to a 70 times factor of refinement with a minimum average grain diameter approaching 4μm.

In-situ microalloying of Al-Cu-Sc alloy manufactured by beam oscillating wire laser directed energy deposition: Grain refinement and properties improvement

Al-Cu alloys manufactured by wire laser directed energy deposition (WLDED) usually exist coarse columnar grains. The novelty of this study is adding Sc to Al-Cu alloy of beam oscillation wire laser directed energy deposition (O-WLDED), achieving grain refinement by in-situ microalloying of Sc. An Al-Cu alloy part and an Al-Cu-Sc alloy part are prepared by O-WLDED, respectively. Furthermore, how the Sc affects the microstructure and mechanical properties is explored and discussed. The in-situ microalloying of Sc provides more nucleation sites for grains and promotes the columnar to equiaxed transformation. The average grain size of the overlapping zone decreases from 21.64 to 14.32 μm, and that of the remelting zone decreases from 18.67 to 7.83 μm. The grain refinement is significant. The contents of θ-Al2Cu and θ'-Al2Cu at grain boundaries of the Al-Cu-Sc alloy reduce since Al3Sc particles precipitated from the Al matrix can hinder the segregation of Cu. The ultimate tensile strength and elongation of the Al-Cu-Sc alloy reach 433 MPa and 11.8 %, respectively, respectively 117 MPa and 2.6 % higher than those of the Al-Cu alloy.

Highly c-axis-oriented apatite-type lanthanum silicate thin films fabricated by magnetron sputtering under bias

The development of apatite-type lanthanum silicate (LSO) thin films with enhanced c-axis orientation has received attention because highly c-axis oriented LSO is an attractive electrolyte for lowering the operating temperature of solid oxide cells. In this study, the effect of thin-film conditions in magnetron sputtering on the c-axis orientation of LSO thin films after crystallization were investigated. X-ray diffraction and X-ray reflectivity measurements revealed that the c-axis orientation of LSO thin films after crystallization is correlated with the density of the amorphous thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering. Bias application during magnetron sputtering effectively increased the c-axis orientation of crystallized LSO thin films, which showed extremely high c-axis orientation (Lotgering factor of 0.99). This thin film consisted of columnar grains, most of which were c-axis oriented, as confirmed by direct observation using scanning transmission electron microscopy.

Effect of bias voltage on the structure and properties of CoCrFeNi high entropy alloy thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering

In this study, CoCrFeNi high entropy alloy thin films were prepared on 304 stainless steel and single crystal Si substrates using the direct-current magnetron sputtering process under different bias voltages. The effects of these bias voltages on the film micrographs, phase structure, surface roughness, corrosion resistance, and mechanical characteristics of thin films were studied by a scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffractometer, atomic force microscope, electrochemical workstation and nanoindentation tester, respectively. The results indicated that all films exhibited equiaxed nano-scale grains and developed a columnar structure. Fe, Co, Cr, and Ni were uniformly dispersed in all films and all films displayed face centered cubic solid solution (FCC). At a bias voltage of 0 V, the CoCrFeNi HEAs film formed a FCC single phase. With increasing bias voltage, the crystallinity decreased and then increased, reaching the worst crystalline state at bias voltage of −200 V due to the fact that the structure of the film was composed of FCC nanocrystalline and amorphous biphasic structure. Meanwhile, the surfaces of the film prepared at bias voltage of −200 V exhibited the densest structures and the least roughness, with grain sizes reaching a minimum value of approximately 10 nm. In addition, columnar grains of the film prepared at a bias voltage of −200 V displayed the densest state and had the least size, thus this film displayed the best corrosion resistance of a minimum value 1.51 × 10−7 A/cm2, a maximum hardness of approximately 11.18 ± 0.2 GPa and a maximum elastic modulus of approximately 193 ± 2.8 GPa. The passivation films of CoCrFeNi HEAs films were mainly composed of Cr2O3.

Additive manufacturing of high-strength low-alloy AISI 4340 steel with an optimal strength-ductility-toughness trade-off

Additive manufacturing (AM) has revolutionised steel part fabrication, yet not all steels are amenable to its unique solidification features, characterised by cyclic and rapid heating/cooling, and directional solidification. These conditions often result in challenges such as columnar grain formation, microstructural heterogeneity, and consequently, inferior mechanical performance, brittleness and severe anisotropy in particular. Recent studies have adopted inoculation or post-fabrication treatments to address this issue, but often entailing extra cost and processing time. This study aims to verify that some steels such as AISI 4340 steel are inherently compatible to AM, producing components that are innately robust and ready for use in the as-built state. The medium carbon content and low alloying element concentration enable AM processing to produce a uniform and refined bainite microstructure with minimal elemental segregation, avoiding the formation of unstable retained austenite. The high AM-processability of this steel is demonstrated by achieving high densification (>99.9 %) across a broad processing window, which allows precise microstructural control via proper tunning the processing parameter modifications, inducing a transition from upper bainite to lower bainite dominance, to tailor mechanical properties for specific applications. The as AM-fabricated AISI 4340 steel exhibits a good combination of strength, ductility, and toughness, manifested by a yield strength range from 1240 to 1370 MPa, an ultimate tensile strength from 1360 to 1740 MPa, an elongation from 7 % to 14 %, and an impact toughness range of 11–44 J. The mechanical properties of the AM-fabricated 4340 steel are comparable to those of the wrought counterpart and superior to the majority of other AM-fabricated steels. This research reveals the high potential of AM to process high-strength low-alloy steels.

Significant creep-strength improvement in modified 9Cr-1Mo steel via microstructural control through laser powder bed fusion

Modified 9Cr-1Mo steel was manufactured using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). The as-built LPBF-sample microstructure comprised columnar δ-ferrite grains and fine martensite grains. The δ-ferrite was a unique phase that formed under the significantly rapid LPBF-induced solidification. Creep testing was performed for the LPBF sample at 923 K for up to 10,000 h. The LPBF-sample time-to-rupture and minimum creep rate were at least 10 times longer and 100 times smaller, respectively, than those of conventional modified 9Cr-1Mo steels at 923 K under 100 MPa. Microstructural characterization of the creep-ruptured samples revealed that creep deformation preferentially occurred in the martensite. Thus, the δ-ferrite contributed significantly to the enhanced creep strength. The intrinsic creep resistance of the δ-ferrite phase exceeded that of the martensite. The microstructural stability of the δ-ferrite grains (attributed to dense MX-phase precipitation at the grain boundary) was a likely strengthening factor. Overall, the modified 9Cr-1Mo steel creep strength was successfully improved via unique microstructural control through LPBF. This achievement is expected to extend LPBF application as a novel microstructural control process for steels and alloys, avoiding the diffusional transformation kinetics that occur in conventional heat-treatment processes.

Influence of annealing treatment on grain growth, texture and magnetic properties of a selective laser melted Fe-6.5 wt% Si alloy

The high-density Fe-6.5 wt% Si soft magnetic alloy samples were prepared using selective laser melting (SLM) technology. Annealing treatments with different temperatures were employed to promote grain growth. The microstructure, texture and magnetic hysteresis loops were characterized, aiming to investigate the relationship between microstructure and magnetic properties. The as-printed Fe-6.5 wt% Si alloy had weak texture and low density of ordered phases, and was featured by coarse grains in the top-view section and columnar grains in the side-view section. After annealing at 800 °C–1000 °C, the textures were slightly weakened, while the grain growth was not significant. Increasing the annealing temperature to 1100 °C led to abnormal grain growth behaviors. The grains of the as-printed Fe-6.5 wt% Si alloy showed randomly abnormal growth behaviors rather than oriented growth, which may be related to the low stored energy and initial size advantage before annealing. After annealed at 1100 °C for 1 h, the abnormal grain growth and the formation of large Goss ({110}<001>) and Cube ({100}<001>) grains resulted in microstructure coarsening and texture optimization. Thus, the corresponding ring-shaped sample exhibited excellent magnetic performance. The magnetic induction B8 is 1.21 T, the maximum relative permeability is 14.71 × 103 and the core loss P10/50 is 11.69 W/kg.

Microstructure and creep behavior of electron beam directed energy deposited TC11 titanium alloy

The creep behavior of TC11 titanium alloy prepared by electron beam directed energy deposition (EB-DED) under various temperatures and stresses was investigated. The results indicated that TC11 prepared by EB-DED maintained excellent creep resistance in the temperature range from 550 °C to 600 °C, compared with the forged TC and TA series titanium alloys. The creep process accelerated with increasing temperature and stress, leading to elevated creep rates and shortened creep lifetimes. The improved creep resistance was related to the multiscale microstructures, i.e., the primary β columnar grains, the refined α lamellar microstructure and the solid solution strengthening effect of Si element predominantly existing in a nearly fully dissolved state.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of large Ti6Al4V components by electron beam powder bed fusion

Electron beam powder bed fusion (EB-PBF)-built Ti–6Al–4V(Ti6Al4V) has increasingly shown great potential for orthopedic implant and aerospace applications in recent years. Large components prepared by additive manufacturing (AM) have heterogeneous microstructures, defect size, and residual stress in the building direction due to the high temperature gradient. The samples with a height of 170 mm ware prepare via EB-PBF. The microstructure, mechanical properties, defect size, and residual stress along the building direction have been systematically study in this work. The grains epitaxial growth along the build direction as coarse prior β columnar grains. The residual compressive stress increases from the sample bottom to top. The max void size increases from 23.8 μm at the bottom to 108 μm at the top, and the mechanical properties gradually deteriorate along the building direction, which is related to the temperature gradient on the building direction of the sample. It is found that the ultimate tensile strength decreases from 916 ± 9 MPa at the bottom to 876 ± 7 MPa at the top, and the elongation to failure decreases from 9.13 ± 0.61 % to 6.49 ± 0.34 %. Meanwhile, the hardening ability is also weakened along the building direction. This study reveals the evolution process of the sample's microstructure, mechanical properties, and defects, providing data support for further control of material defects.

Microstructures and High-Temperature Mechanical Properties of Inconel 718 Superalloy Fabricated via Laser Powder Bed Fusion.

The Inconel 718 superalloy demonstrates the potential to fabricate high-temperature components using additive manufacturing. However, additively manufactured Inconel 718 typically exhibits low strength, necessitating post-heat treatments for precipitate strengthening. This study investigated the microstructures and mechanical properties of the Inconel 718 superalloy fabricated via laser powder bed fusion. The room-temperature and high-temperature tensile properties of the Inconel 718 alloy samples following various post-heat treatments were evaluated. The results indicate that the as-built samples exhibited columnar grains with fine cell structures. Solution treatment resulted in δ phase formation and grain recrystallization. Subsequent double aging led to finely distributed nanoscale γ' and γ″ particles. These nanoscale particles provided high strength at both room and high temperatures, resulting in a balanced strength and ductility comparable to the wrought counterpart. High-temperature nanoindentation analyses revealed that the double-aging samples exhibited very high hardness and low creep rates at 650 °C.

Understanding crack growth within the γ′ Fe4N layer in a nitrided low carbon steel during monotonic and cyclic tensile testing

Nitriding is a cost-effective method to realize simultaneous improvements in tensile and fatigue properties and resistance to abrasion and corrosion. Previous studies reported that nitriding pure Fe enhances tensile strength by ~ 70% and fatigue limit by ~ 200%. It is due to the increase in surface hardness caused by the formation of γ′(Fe4N) and ε(Fe2-3N) nitrogen-containing intermetallic compound phases. However, the intermetallic compound layer is prone to brittle-like cracking. To better design nitrided steels, it is crucial to identify the crack growth mechanisms via analysis of the microstructural crack growth paths within the ~ 4–6 µm thick nitride layer. In the current work, we statistically evaluate the crack propagation behavior in the γ′ Fe4N layer during monotonic and cyclic tensile deformation in nitrided low-carbon steel (0.1 wt% C). Since nitriding typically results in the formation of columnar grains, the effect of morphology needs to be clarified. To this end, the steel was shot-peened and subsequently nitrided to promote equiaxed nitride grains morphology (~ 16% increase). Crack growth paths were comparatively evaluated for multiple cracks, and no significant effect of nitride morphology was observed. {100}γ′ is the predominant transgranular crack path in the monotonic tensile tested specimen, followed by {111}γ′. It is despite the elastic modulus of {111}γ′ < {100}γ′. This contrary behavior is explained by {100}γ′ plane having the lowest surface energy (density functional theory calculations). In the cyclic tensile loaded specimen, experiments revealed that transgranular cracking along {100}γ′ (cracking via symmetric dislocation emission) or {111}γ′ (slip plane cracking) is equally likely.Graphical abstract

Stress-Strain Characteristics and Electrical Conductivity of Niobium Nanopowder modified Silicon Bronze

Understanding the response of materials to various loads is crucial for fabricating resilient components capable of withstanding anticipated stresses. This experimental study addresses the limited information on the tensile behavior of silicon bronze by investigating the stress-strain characteristics of Cu-4wt%Si alloys modified with niobium nanopowder. The surface morphology of the fabricated alloys was analyzed using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). SEM analysis of the Cu-4wt%Si alloy revealed columnar grains sparsely distributed in the copper matrix, contributing to low strain-to-fracture behavior. Doping the alloy with niobium nanopowder resulted in notable grain modification, increased grain boundary density, and improved grain distribution, correlating with higher strain-to-fracture values. Notably, the Cu-4wt%Si-1.1wt%Nb alloy exhibited significant changes in percentage elongation, ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, fracture strength, and tensile toughness. Furthermore, niobium nanopowder additions increase the hardness and electrical conductivity values, peaking at 305 HV and 54.9 %IACS with 1.1 wt% Nb.

Effect of powder composition on WE43 magnesium alloy fabricated by laser powder bed fusion

Laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) of WE43 magnesium alloy has a promising application prospect in the fields of lightweight parts and biodegradable implants. Grain refinement in these components is expected for high strength and controlled biodegradation, however, grain structure of WE43 is sensitive to composition and processing. L-PBF WE43 exhibited significant diversity on the microstructure and properties with the fluctuation of powder composition, and the influencing mechanism remained unclear. In this study, L-PBF samples were fabricated with high formation quality using four different WE43 powders, in which the content of Nd and Zr were purposely adjusted. Their microstructure, tensile properties and corrosion resistance were characterized. L-PBF specimens composed of fine equiaxed grains were obtained from Mg-3.56Y-2.45Nd-1.14Gd-0.40Zr powder, achieving ultimate strength of 316 MPa and elongation of 15%. With the minor decrease of Nd and Zr content, which was still in the range of present standards of WE43, L-PBF specimens respectively exhibited abnormal grain growth and coarse columnar grains, leading to tremendous deterioration of mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. During the multiple layers of fusion and solidification, Zr promoted the columnar-to-equiaxed transition and generated finer grains, while Nd exerted pinning effect in the heat affected zone to keep the fine grains from abnormal grain growth. The results firstly demonstrate the significant influence of the minor change of alloying elements on the performance, and indicate that a stricter compositional standard of WE43 powder is necessary to achieve reliable properties for the L-PBF process.

Metallurgical and mechanical properties of trimetallic functionally graded material fabricated by wire arc additive manufacturing

This study explores the fabrication of a trimetallic functionally graded material (FGM) using stainless steel (ER316L), duplex steel (ER2205), and Inconel 718 (IN718) through a gas metal arc welding (GMAW) based wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) process. The metallurgical examination reveals the large columnar austenitic grains and δ-ferrite phase at the grain boundaries along the built direction in the stainless-steel zone. At the interface of ER2205-IN718, a distinct boundary is observed due to the different alloy compositions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows metal carbide of nickel (Ni), molybdenum (Mo), and niobium (Nb) along the grain boundaries and nodular-shaped Lave phases in the IN718 zone. The energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis reveals a gradual variation of Ni and Fe content, indicating the successful fabrication of the FGM. The mechanical characterization reveals that the hardness of the developed FGM steadily increases from bottom to top. However, at the ER2205-IN718 interface, it experiences a sharp decrease, followed by a subsequent increase within the IN718 zone. The tensile test demonstrated an increase in tensile strength along the built direction, accompanied by a reduction in strain. Notably, the minimum strain observed in the developed FGM is approximately equal to that of IN718 alloy.

Substrate dilution and interface structures of tungsten coating deposited by double-glow plasma surface alloying on stainless steel substrate

W-coating layers with varying thicknesses up to 10 μm were deposited by double-glow plasma surface alloying (DGPSA) on finely polished stainless steel (SS304L) substrates to investigate the influence of the substrate on both the W-coating and interface structures. The examination revealed substrate dilution and the presence of oxide crystallites, predominantly FeWO4 and WO2, at the interface between W and SS304L. These observations correlated with the occurrence of cracking and peeling-off of the W-coating. Both Cr and Ni showed decreased distribution in the interface layer compared to their distribution in the W-coating and SS304L substrate. In comparison, Fe demonstrated a more noticeable compositional gradient, decreasing monotonically from SS304L across the interface to the W-coating. The depth distribution of O indicated that its inclusions were influenced not only by DGPSA deposition but also by post-deposition ion-beam milling. Additionally, the presence of spherical particles directly on the substrate's surface provided evidence for surface alloying reactions, while the columnar grains within the interface oxide layer were associated with the texture features of the W-coating, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction and pole-figure measurements. These findings offer valuable insights into the surface alloying process facilitated by DGPSA and its potential for developing W-coatings tailored for plasma-facing applications.