NiTi Alloy Research Articles

Study of atomic diffusion behavior in diffusion welding of NiTi alloy - based on molecular dynamics

NiTi alloy with nearly equiatomic ratios of Ni and Ti, has a unique shape memory effect and biocompatibility. Atomic diffusion is a determinant factor for the diffusion welding of NiTi alloys joining. In general, the atomic diffusion may be mediated by the temperature, time and pressure and so on. Despite the importance of technology, Ni and Ti atoms’ diffusion mechanism, however, still remains un-elucidated. Few works have investigated the movement rules of atoms from the atomic scale. Molecular dynamics simulations of diffusion welding were performed for 200-800ps to investigate the diffusion process of the NiTi alloy composite plate at temperatures of 1000, 1100, 1200, and 1300K. The results show that the holding temperature had the greatest effect on diffusion, with pressure having the least effect. The diffusion coefficients of NiTi, Ni, and Ti were calculated at temperatures of 1000, 1100, 1200, and 1300K, respectively. The diffusion degree of Ni atoms was higher than that of Ti atoms. The diffusion coefficients of Ni and Ti atoms satisfied the Arrhenius equation, and the diffusion activation energy of Ni atoms was lower than that of Ti atoms. Furthermore, this study demonstrates at the atomic scale that the growth of the diffusion layer at high temperatures follows the parabolic growth kinetics law.

Electrodeposition of Sacrificial Layer, Al2O3/ZnTPP film, onto NiTi Orthodontic Wire: Surface Characterizations and Electrochemical Investigations

Background: NiTi (nickel-titanium) alloy wires are widely used in orthodontics due to their unique properties, such as shape memory and superelasticity. However, these wires can be susceptible to corrosion in the oral environment, which can compromise their mechanical performance and longevity. Zinc tetraphenyl porphyrin (ZnTPP) is a corrosion inhibitor that forms a protective layer on the aluminum oxide (Al2O3) surface, acting as a barrier against corrosive agents. Objective: The electrodeposition of a sacrificial layer of Al2O3 with ZnTPP was carried out onto Ni- Ti orthodontic wire to enhance the corrosion resistance. Methods: 10 mM aluminum nitrate was dissolved in 10 mL of 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution (PBS), which was used as an electrolyte. Firstly, electrodeposition of Al2O3 on NiTi wire was carried out by using cyclic voltammetry by potential scanning between 0 and -2.0 V at a scan rate of 50 mV/s for 50 cycles. Secondly, 10 mL of 1 mM ZnTPP in 0.1 M PBS and ethanol (1:1) was prepared and used as an electrolyte. Electrodeposition of ZnTPP onto Al2O3/NiTi wire was achieved by cyclic voltammetry through the potential window of 0 to -2.0 V at a scan rate of 50 mV/s for 50 cycles. Results: The ZnTPP/Al2O3/NiTi wire displayed a potentiodynamic polarization resistance of 412931 Ω, with high stability compared to the bare NiTi wire (396421 Ω). Additionally, the corrosion rate for the ZnTPP/Al2O3/NiTi wire was measured as 0.254 mm/year, which was notably lower than that of the bare NiTi wire (0.540 mm/year). This decrease in corrosion rate can be attributed to the presence of the ZnTPP/Al2O3 film, which renders the NiTi wire electrically insulative and significantly increases its impedance compared to the bare NiTi wire. Conclusion: The bilayer coating of Al2O3 and ZnTPP has proven to significantly improve the corrosion resistance and stability of the wires. Thus, these materials can be considered for coating orthodontic archwires with improved corrosion stability.

Experimental study of NiTi alloy cardiovascular stent formed via SLM

Selective laser melting (SLM) has garnered significant attention in the manufacturing of cardiovascular stents due to its potential for fabricating customized stents with intricate geometries that meet clinical requirements. This study aims to optimize the SLM parameters for NiTi stents to achieve minimal porosity and surface roughness, and investigate the biocompatibility and compression tests of SLMed stents. Firstly, the single-factor experiments of laser power, scanning speed and hatch spacing are conducted, respectively. Subsequently, a Box-Benhnken experimental was employed to establish regression prediction models for porosity and surface roughness using response surface methodology (RSM). The results show that scanning speed is the most influential factor on porosity, while laser power significantly affects surface roughness. The optimized parameter combination with minimum porosity of 0.165% and surface roughness of 6.17 μm as follows: laser power of 156W, scanning speed of 712mm/s, and hatch spacing of 0.9mm. The relative errors of them are 0.19% and 0.8%, respectively, indicating that the regression model possesses good prediction ability. Additionally, the corrosion rate and nickel ion release gradually increase with the immersion time, reaching the highest corrosion rate of 2.46g/m² and nickel ion release of 1.08μg after 42 days. Besides, the SLMed stent demonstrated good recovery ability in the compression test. The findings promote the utilization of SLM in the manufacturing of NiTi cardiovascular stents for medical implant applications.

Life cycle assessment of additively manufactured elastocaloric Ni-Ti heat pump/refrigeration components and the effect of design geometry on the environmental impact categories

Elastocaloric Ni-Ti alloys offer solid-state heat pump and cooling applications. The environmental impact of elastocaloric Ni-Ti parts manufactured via powder bed fusion was assessed using life cycle assessment with the ReCiPe method. These solid-state heat pumps can mitigate the environmental impacts of current air conditioning/refrigeration methods that use harmful chemicals like CFCs, HCFCs, and HFCs. Measurements of electricity, Ar gas, and compressed air consumption were considered within the gate-to-gate boundary, covering powder transportation, printing, and use-phase. Nickel was identified as the most damaging input, reducible through geometry optimization. Optimized geometries (given the same number of printing layers) require more energy during powder bed fusion however, the environmental benefit from material saving outweighs the damage from increased electrical usage by far. The powder bed fusion machine's standby mode consumes more energy and Ar gas than the printing process, presenting an opportunity for mitigation. Additively manufactured Ni-Ti elastocaloric structures were used as heat generators/sinks in flowing water during compression cycles, achieving 11 °C and 10 °C water temperature change per cycle for the solid geometry and the optimized geometry respectively. A 10 x 10 x 55 mm Ni-Ti structure, providing >2 °C temperature span under compressive cycles, served as the functional unit.

Effect of grain size on precipitation and microstrain of nanocrystalline NiTi alloys

The effect of aging treatment on the microstructure, phase transformation behavior and mechanical properties of nanocrystalline NiTi alloy was studied. The nanocrystalline NiTi alloys with different grain sizes were acquired by cold drawing followed by annealing at 350–500 °C for 10 min. The annealed samples were aged at 250–400 °C for 48 h. The Ti3Ni4 precipitates were found in aged nanocrystalline NiTi alloys. In the sample with smaller average nanograin size, the precipitates were found at the edge of grain boundaries and little lattice strain was shown in R phase matrix. In the sample with larger average grain size, the precipitates were found in the nanograins and exhibited a coherent interface with the matrix. The nanocrystalline R phase NiTi matrix exhibited a significant compressive stress at the end of the coherent precipitate. The coherent precipitates in sample aged at 250 °C after annealing at 500 °C suppress the stress-induced R → B19′ phase transformation and increased the upper plateau stress. The precipitation in sample aged at 250 °C after annealing at 350 °C unable to suppress the martensitic transformation effectively.

Past and Recent Progress on Metallic Digestive Tract Stents.

The implantation of digestive tract stents at various lesion sites can effectively improve digestive tract patency, opening up an excellent treatment method for diseases that are currently incurable or resistant to conventional surgery. Digestive tract stents have been extensively studied and widely used worldwide due to their unique advantages of simple implantation, low trauma, satisfactory effect, and low complication rate. Among the various types of stents, metallic stents have been developed to improve surgical efficacy due to their excellent mechanical properties and are constantly being improved. This review provides an overview of the design and development of conventional nonbiodegradable metallic digestive tract stents such as nitinol (NiTi alloy), stainless steel, and cobalt-based alloy stents. Furthermore, biodegradable metallic stents for the digestive tract, such as magnesium-based, iron-based, and zinc-based stents, are described. This paper also evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of existing metallic digestive stents as well as future research directions and challenges in the development of metallic digestive tract stents.

Machine learning in additive manufacturing——NiTi alloy’s transformation behavior

The laser powder bed fused NiTi alloys (LPBF-NiTi) demonstrate shape memory functionality and superelasticity as a result of their distinctive phase transition characteristics. Nevertheless, achieving precise control and regulation of the phase transition temperature poses a challenge, influenced by factors like powder composition and process parameter. In this study, a feature screening strategy and machine learning (ML) method were employed to predict and regulate the phase transition temperature of LPBF-NiTi alloy, offering a more efficient and cost-effective alternative to traditional experimental methods of regulation and control. Specifically, accuracy analysis was performed on LPBF-NiTi phase transition datasets with varying compositions and process conditions utilizing generalized regression neural network (GRNN), and other methods. The findings indicate that the interpretable features extracted through the selection strategy outlined in this study when combined with the GRNN model, demonstrate a high level of prediction accuracy (R2 = 0.97). To investigate the accuracy of the model, this study utilized various process parameters to fabricate NiTi alloys with different compositions from Ni50.8Ti49.2 alloy powder. Using this model, the study identified a novel, larger window of optimal LPBF processing that allows for controllable complex phase transitions.

Optimizing laser parameters and exploring building direction dependence of corrosion behavior in NiTi alloys fabricated by laser powder bed fusion

The microstructure and materials performance of Laser Powder Bed Fusion-fabricated (LPBFed) NiTi shape memory alloys (SMAs) varies depending on the laser parameters and building directions. This study initially optimized the laser processing parameters (laser power and scanning speed) for LPBFed NiTi SMAs to enhance their printing quality and mechanical properties. We determined that with fixed hatch spacing of 80 μm and layer thickness of 30 μm, the laser power of 105 W, and scanning speed of 600 mm/s produced the best results. Subsequently, the corrosion behavior of LPBFed NiTi SMAs built in three different building directions (0°, 45°, 90°) was investigated in 0.9 wt.% NaCl solution at 37 °C. The electrochemical data revealed that the corrosion current density (Icorr) decreased with increasing building direction angle (Icorr-90° <Icorr-45° <Icorr-0°). The corrosion resistance followed the order of 0° sample ˂ 45° sample ˂ 90° sample. These findings were attributed to the difference in the grain size and boundary density. Higher boundary densities enhanced the electron activity capacity and the element diffusion rates, facilitating the rapid formation of a protective film and thus improving the corrosion resistance. This new insight into the anisotropy of corrosion behavior relative to building directions can inform the design of NiTi-SMA products and improve their reliability in tissue engineering applications.

Enhanced structural stability of Si electrode employing TiNi/Si pillars with oriented Li diffusion pathway

As the anode materials of Li-ion batteries, pillar-shaped TiNi/Si particles fabricated by employing electrochemical etching of (100) Si wafers and TiNi alloy coating, were investigated for their structural and electrochemical properties. The most suitable porous wafer for producing Si pillars was obtained at a current density of 2.5 mA/cm2 during etching. The deposited TiNi alloy film consisted of a crystallized austenitic (B2) phase capable of inducing phase transformation through annealing at 500°C. Particularly, by coating with the inactive materials, only the (100) plane of single crystalline Si was exposed during the initial charging process to restrict Li ion movement exclusively along the <100>Si direction. The TiNi/Si electrode exhibited a lower capacity compared to the Si electrode but demonstrated improved cycling performance. It showed a charge capacity of 1110 mAh/g at 0.1 C with an initial efficiency of 77 % and maintained a capacity retention of 49 % (543 mAh/g) up to 100 cycles. After the initial cycle, Si electrodes exposed to various lithium insertion directions exhibited severe structural damage such as cracking and particle pulverization, whereas TiNi/Si electrodes demonstrated enhanced structural stability due to surface coating and restricted reaction pathway.

Unleashing the elastocaloric cooling potential of 3D-printed NiTi alloy with heterogeneous microstructures and Ni4Ti3 nanoparticles

Toward the development of elastocaloric (eC) refrigeration applications, this study examines how Ni4Ti3 nanoparticles improve the eC properties of laser powder bed-fused (LPBF) NiTi alloys, with a focus on the formation of a NiTi/Ni4Ti3 nanocomposite. The LPBF-produced microstructure offers significant advantages: i) a heterogeneous grain structure that provides complementary benefits—fine grains offer higher deformation resistance while coarse grains initiate phase transformation (PT) earlier, releasing more latent heat; ii) a strong <001>//building direction texture that enhances recoverability. However, these benefits are partially limited by grain boundary slip during PT, leading to lower cooling efficiency and increased energy dissipation in as-built NiTi alloys. To address these issues, Ni4Ti3 nanoparticles are introduced through aging treatment, forming a composite structure that strengthens grain boundaries. Given the challenges of applying severe plastic deformation to 3D-printed components, this approach may offer a more practical solution. The study also reveals that Ni4Ti3 nanoparticles contribute to: 1) reducing Ni content in the matrix, increasing lattice size and enthalpy, which enhances the temperature drop (ΔTad); and 2) promoting R phase formation, which hinders the B2↔B19’ PT, reducing energy dissipation and improving the coefficient of performance (COPmat). The balance of these effects depends on nanoparticle size, with smaller particles (∼5–12 nm) amplifying the second effect, while larger particles (∼130 nm) increase the first effect. At 350 °C aging, the optimized nanocomposite exhibits a maximum COPmat of 15 and ΔTad of 14K, representing a 163 % improvement over the as-built alloy. This work highlights the potential of NiTi composites in 3D-printed eC components.

Investigation of the Effect of Milling Time on Elemental Powders of Oxi‐Reduction Nickel and Hydrogenation–Dehydrogenation Titanium

Mechanical alloying (MA) is widely applied in the synthesis of blended elemental or prealloyed powders. This work evaluates the effect of milling time on elemental nickel and titanium powders produced by oxi‐reduction and the hydrogenation–dehydrogenation process, respectively. The powders are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, particle size, powder yield, and differential scanning calorimetry. It is observed that increasing the milling time promotes the formation of a structure composed of thin lamellae of nickel and titanium, which results in the beneficial effect of lowering the temperature for the formation of the intermetallic of the Ni–Ti system and in the powder yield achieved. The reduction of milling time in the MA process of NiTi alloys enhances technological efficiency by decreasing their overall processing time.

Laser microwelding of NiTi/PtIr alloys with laser beam offset

The NiTi and PtIr alloy joint has been employed in biomedical devices to combine the superelasticity of NiTi alloy with the X-ray visibility of PtIr alloy. Laser microwelding is usually used for the joints, but there is a risk of forming brittle intermetallic compounds (e.g., Ni3Ti, Ti2Ni, and Ti3Pt) in the fusion zone (FZ), which could deteriorate joint strength. In this study, laser beam offset (laser offset) was implemented for a butt joint of Ni-49.8 at.% Ti and Pt-10.0 at.% Ir alloy wires to control the intermetallic compound formation in the FZ. Welding with 300 μm laser offset on the NiTi side achieved 2.3 times higher joint breaking stress and 13.0 times higher joint breaking strain than welding without laser offset. The joint breaking stress and strain were enhanced from 221 MPa and 0.9 % to 502 MPa and 11.7 % by 300 μm laser offset on the NiTi side, respectively. In the absence of laser offset, the dissolution of Pt and Ir into the FZ facilitated the M3Ti (M = Ni, Pt, Ir) formation in the FZ, resulting in crack propagation within the M3Ti. In contrast, the 300 μm offset on the NiTi side inhibited the M3Ti formation by mitigating Pt and Ir dissolution into the FZ. Laser offset on the NiTi side can be an attractive option to enhance the strength and ductility of NiTi and PtIr butt joints.

Effect of Addition of Rare Earth Metal (Ce) on the Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Corrosion Behavior of NiTi Alloys

Effect of Addition of Rare Earth Metal (Ce) on the Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Corrosion Behavior of NiTi Alloys

Effect of Cu content on the mechanical, corrosion and antibacterial properties of porous NiTi-xCu alloys for biomedical application

Porous NiTi alloys are widely used as hard tissue replacement materials due to their excellent corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. However, the lack of antibacterial ability may lead to bacterial infection after surgery. Therefore, enhancing the antibacterial ability of porous NiTi alloys by incorporating Cu is of significant value. In this paper, porous NiTi-xCu alloys (x = 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 at%) were prepared via powder metallurgy and the influence of Cu content on their properties were investigated. The results demonstrate that the compressive strength and antibacterial activity of the alloys increase with increasing Cu content. The NiTi-1.5Cu sample exhibits the highest compressive strength of 48.7 MPa and antibacterial rate of 99.6 %. Furthermore, the addition of Cu improves the corrosion resistance of the alloys, and the NiTi-1Cu specimen exhibits the lowest corrosion rate of 0.123 mm year−1. It is concluded that the incorporation of Cu effectively enhances the compressive strength, corrosion resistance and antibacterial properties of the porous NiTi alloys, making them promising candidates for hard tissue replacement applications.

Mechanical properties of lander bionic buffer structure based on additive manufacturing

In order to meet the energy absorption requirements of the landing buffer, this paper starts with the buffer filling material of the buffer, draws on the Kelvin structure and spiral structure, and applies the engineering bionics principle to design and establish two structural models: a soccerball-like bionic structure and a multi-spiral bionic structure. Considering the energy absorption and reusability requirements of the lander buffer structure, the bionic structure sample is prepared by additive manufacturing technology and NiTi alloy with shape memory effect. The mechanical properties, energy absorption and recoverability of the sample are analyzed and verified by simulation and experiment. The results show that the accuracy of the numerical simulation is verified by comparing the force-displacement curves of the simulation test and the isometric static pressure test; the multi-spiral bionic structure has better mechanical properties, and its maximum energy absorption is 3096.23 J; the recovery rates of the two structures are as high as 98.02%and respectively 97.12%, and the recovery rate of the soccerball-like bionic structure is slightly higher. This study uses additive manufacturing to prepare the leg-type lander buffer bionic structure, which provides a reference for the bionic design of the lander buffer structure.

Selective laser melting fabrication of body-temperature shape memory NiTi alloy for 4D-printed orthopedic implants

ABSTRACT SLM fabrication of NiTi alloy is receiving increasing attention. However, the relatively high austenite transformation finish (Af) temperature is the main problem for biomedical applications. In this study, it was found that phase transformation temperature (PTT) increased with increasing laser power, decreasing scanning speed, and decreasing hatch spacing. The combination of PPs with an energy density of less than 75 J/mm³ is expected to yield the Af temperature below 37 °C. P = 80 W, v = 600 mm/s, and h = 70 μm were identified as the optimal combination because of a good tensile strength of 612 MPa and a peak shape recovery rate of 96.94%. Biocompatibility assessment showed that SLM-NiTi porous scaffolds supported pre-osteoblast survival and proliferation. A patient-specific mesh-like supporting prosthesis was designed to show the prospect of 4D-printed orthopedics implant. In clinical application, SLM-NiTi prosthesis could reduce bony window and facilitate easier insertion through compressive deformation.

Effect of Cu Alloying and Heat Treatment Parameters on NiTi Alloy Phase Stability and Constitutive Behavior

Effect of Cu Alloying and Heat Treatment Parameters on NiTi Alloy Phase Stability and Constitutive Behavior

Phase transition in the shape memory alloy NiTi described by the SCAN meta-GGA functional.

Climbing the ladder of density functional approximations has long been proposed to systematically improve the accuracy of first-principles calculations employing the density functional theory (DFT); however, up until now, the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) functional at the second rung of the ladder, has dominated. Here, we present a study of the martensitic phase transition in NiTi based on abinitio molecular dynamics simulations and thermodynamic integration using the third-rung approximation of the strongly constrained and appropriately normalized (SCAN) meta-generalized gradient approximation (GGA). Although the predicted equilibrium lattice constants and formation enthalpy agree well with experimental data, the martensitic transition temperature (MTT) is overestimated by 94% (or 324K too high), compared with only 22% (77K) overestimation by PBE. The latent heat (q) is severely overestimated by SCAN as well. This deteriorated performance originates from the enlarged energy difference (ΔE) between the austenite and martensite phases, compared with the PBE result. Furthermore, a large variation (over 50meV/atom) in ΔE using different meta-GGAs indicates large variations in computed MTTs (∼400-500 K) and q, i.e., the predicted thermodynamic properties depend sensitively on the choice of meta-GGA. This would pose a serious problem when upgrading DFT calculations to the third rung. One possible solution is to add NiTi as a normsystem so that the revised SCAN meta-GGA could reproduce the PBE results of the relevant energy difference.

Enhanced mechanical properties and structural stability of Hf-modified NiTi alloy for advanced bearing materials

Ni-rich NiTi alloys suitable for bearing materials exhibit excellent properties such as high hardness, low modulus, non-magnetic, and corrosion resistance. In this study, the addition of Hf elements enhanced the mechanical properties and improved the structural stability of the alloys. The results indicate that the aging-treated Ni55Ti37Hf8 alloy demonstrates outstanding properties, with a Vickers hardness of 738.7 ± 12.5 HV, a nano-hardness of 9.6 ± 0.3 GPa, and an elastic modulus of 106.1 ± 2.2 GPa. The microstructure is primarily composed of the NiTi, Ni4Ti3 phase, and the H-phase. The structural stability of Ni55Ti37Hf8 alloy reached unprecedented levels, with hardness remaining at 673.1 ± 4.6 HV after heat treatment at 600°C for 100 h, meeting the requirements for bearing materials (exceeding 58 HRC). The Ni55Ti37Hf8 alloy exhibits superior thermal stability, making it a revolutionary option for the development of next-generation wear-resistant materials.

Directed energy deposition combined with interlayer remelting for improving NiTi wear resistance by grain refinement

Directed energy deposition of NiTi coatings has received much attention, however, its performance is difficult to meet the increasing requirements in the engineering field. In order to refine the grains to improve wear resistance, a novel interlayer remelting method for fabricating NiTi alloys by directed energy deposition is proposed in this study. The influence of laser interlayer remelting parameters on lattice structure, phase transformation behavior, microstructure, crystallographic evolution, and microhardness was thoroughly analysed in comparison. Good formability is demonstrated after interlayer remelting, while the high energy density leads to microstructure refinement and eutectic regions are observed between dendrites. The grain size decreases with increasing remelting speed, which is due to the faster cooling rate having a greater degree of subcooling with more nucleation points. The faster interlayer remelting speed shows a higher microhardness (586 HV0.2) with higher wear resistance, which is attributed to its finer grain size and significant grain boundary strengthening. Reciprocating sliding wear experiments show that the wear resistance is improved after interlayer remelting, especially at a load of 30 N, the specific wear rate is 1.35 * 10−4mm3/Nm, which is only 47 % of that of the untreated sample. This study proposes a technique to achieve synergistic enhancement of microhardness and sliding wear properties of reinforced coatings, which provides a theoretical basis for the application of NiTi coatings in engineering and extends the field of additive manufacturing.