This work investigated corrosion inhibition performance and mechanism of potassium sorbate (PS) on AZ91 alloy. The corrosion inhibition efficiency was evaluated through hydrogen evolution and electrochemical tests. The inhibition efficiency reached a maximum of 96.3 % at 30 degrees C with a 0.03 mol/L PS concentration. The surface corrosion products and the adsorption of the inhibitor were investigated through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and first-principles calculations. Surface characterization demonstrated that PS was effectively adsorbed onto the Mg alloy surface, forming a dense protective layer that significantly suppresses corrosion. Adsorption behavior followed the Langmuir isotherm model. Theoretical simulations revealed that PS molecules chemisorb onto the Mg (0 0 1) surface primarily through carboxyl groups, with a high adsorption energy of -19.57 eV, confirming a strong interaction.

The fabrication of quantum dots (QDs) micro-patterns, especially those with both µm-scale high-resolution and mm-/cm- scale large area uniformity, remains a bottleneck limiting the application of quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs). Current strategies have suffered from either low resolution or complicated micro-template assisted fabrications deteriorating the device performance. Here, we developed a new conceptual high-resolution QDs micro-pattern with a linewidth of merely 2 µm in an area of ∼10 cm2 by a template-free direct writing strategy, featured as the distinguishable QDs micro-line array by the periodical nanoscale thickness difference. The enhanced capillary flow accelerates QDs deposition at each tri-phase contact line in a positive feedback manner until the liquid film breaking, which proceeds uniformly across the whole printing area in a good periodicity. Thus, a periodic conformal complementary QDs/PMMA heterostructure bilayer film, composed of alternate thick-QDs/thin-PMMA and thin-QDs/thick-PMMA unit, was constructed as the light-emitting layer, which facilitates the autonomous charge distribution at both inter- and intra- interface. The as-developed high-resolution micro-patterned QLED shows an external quantum efficiency as high as 21.4% even at a linewidth of 2 µm. The result offers a low-cost facile strategy for making large-area high-resolution micro-patterned QLED devices.

In this study, ultrafine Ti-19.5Zr-10Nb-0.5Fe shape memory alloy wires (Phi 0.2 mm) were fabricated via cold drawing. After annealing at 550 degrees C for different durations, alloy wire samples with varying grain sizes were obtained, and their superelastic performance at room temperature and 37 degrees C were investigated. The results demonstrate that the smallest grain size corresponds to the highest beta-phase stability, exhibiting the optimal recoverable strain. Specifically, the sample annealed at 550 degrees C for 3 min achieved a recoverable strain of similar to 5 % at 37 degrees C to be expected in biomedical applications.

As energy storage batteries age, thermal behaviors and internal states within single cells become increasingly inconsistent. This inconsistency may lead to thermal safety incidents and hinder the rapid development of the energy storage industry. Obtaining temperature rise characteristics and the inconsistency in heat generation of batteries is essential for designing effective battery thermal management system (BTMS) and cooling strategies. This study employed electrochemical performance tests, temperature rise tests, disassembly and characterization, as well as indirect liquid cooling BTMS applications. The results indicated that under operating conditions, the four-stage temperature rise trend in LiFePO4||Graphite full-cells gradually diminished as the proportion of irreversible heat generation increased. LiFePO4||Graphite and NaNi1/3Fe1/3Mn1/3O2||Hard Carbon full-cells exhibited significant spatial and temporal thermal inconsistencies. Surface regions exhibiting high temperature rise corresponded to electrode areas with lower states of health. Compared with natural cooling, the compressor-based BTMS under double-sided cooling reduced maximum surface temperature at the end of discharge and the maximum temperature difference during 1C (25 A) discharging. For the aged LiFePO4||Graphite prismatic hard-case cell the reductions were 34% and 36%, respectively. During 2C discharging, the BTMS integrating a thermoelectric cooler and a liquid cooling plate maintained the maximum temperature difference of the aged LiFePO4||Graphite prismatic hard-case cells within 4 °C. These findings are expected to provide theoretical guidance for reducing cell inconsistencies.

The high corrosion rate and poor mechanical properties of magnesium alloys severely restrict their biomedical applications. In this study, hot-rolled ZG21 Mg alloy was modified via annealing and aging composite heat treatment, and the effects of this treatment on the alloy’s corrosion resistance and mechanical properties were systematically investigated. Results show that annealing and aging eliminate most dislocations and twins in the hot-rolled alloy, homogenizing its electrochemical activity. The corrosion rates for the annealed and aged samples in Hank’s solution are 0.098 and 0.077 mm/a, respectively. Unlike conventional two-phase structures, the surface corrosion product film formed is a single, compact Ca-P layer, which further synergistically enhances the alloy’s corrosion resistance. For mechanical properties, the heat treatment increases the number of activated slip systems by removing defects, thus significantly improving the alloy’s ductility, and the elongation of the aged alloy exceeds 43%. Moreover, the dense protective Ca-P film prevents further matrix erosion by corrosive media, enabling the corroded alloy to retain favorable ductility. This work achieves synchronous optimization of corrosion resistance and ductility via a facile heat treatment process, while a decline in yield strength occurs. It provides a feasible route for developing high-performance biomedical Mg alloys.

Durable performance of metallic implants depends largely on robust osseointegration and a balanced immune microenvironment at the bone-implant interface. Modulating macrophage polarization and osteoblast responses through surface topography and chemistry has emerged as an effective strategy for improving titanium alloy implants. In this study, boron-containing hierarchical porous ceramic coatings were fabricated on the low-modulus Ti-19Zr-10Nb-1Fe alloy using a one-step micro-arc oxidation process. The pore topography, surface roughness, wettability, and boron release kinetics were regulated by adjusting the applied voltage. Among the tested coatings, the M300V exhibited stronger coating adhesion and improved corrosion resistance. In vitro, the M300V coating promoted osteoblast proliferation and differentiation and induced macrophage polarization toward an M2-like phenotype. Macrophage-conditioned medium from the M300V group further enhanced osteoblast differentiation, indicating a beneficial immunomodulatory effect on osteogenesis. These responses were accompanied by increased expression of osteogenesis-related markers, including RUNX2, COL1, and OCN. In a rat femoral condyle model, the M300V coating reduced early inflammatory responses, suppressed osteoclast activity, and improved osseointegration. These findings suggest that the improved biological performance of the M300V coating may result from the combined effects of favorable boron release kinetics and hierarchical porous microstructures, providing a promising surface modification strategy for bone-interfacing titanium alloy implants.

Copper alloys have been widely utilized in marine engineering due to their excellent comprehensive properties. However, the harsh marine corrosion environment with high salinity, high humidity, and complex microbial composition is prone to cause corrosion to metal-based components, seriously affecting their service life and reliability. This study employed laser texturing technology to fabricate micro-scale groove arrays on a copper substrate surface, and successfully prepared a superhydrophobic Cu(OH)2 nanoneedles coating (SHB/Cu) through solution etching and low surface energy treatment. The superhydrophobic Cu(OH)2 nanoneedles surface forms a stable microbubble layer at the solid-liquid interface, further reducing the contact area and adsorption capacity of corrosion media, thus synergistically enhancing corrosion protection performance. Electrochemical studies indicate that the corrosion current density (Icorr) of SHB/Cu250 drops to 5.29 x 10-7A/cm2, representing a three-order-of-magnitude reduction compared to the copper substrate. The corrosion protection efficiency reaches 99.68%. Furthermore, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were employed to quantitatively analyze the diffusion behavior of corrosion ions (e.g., Na+, Cl-, H2O, and O2) within the Cu(OH)2/Cu and SHB/Cu composite systems. This study presents an innovative technical solution for superhydrophobic anti-corrosion coatings, providing robust technical assurance for the long-term safe operation of marine infrastructure.

The surface of the Mg alloy develops a stable and dense film of corrosion products through the synergistic interaction of barbituric acid (BA) and sodium phosphate (SP). The combination of SP and BA exhibits a strong corrosion inhibition effect, with a corrosion inhibition efficiency of 83.67% observed in mass loss experiments. Furthermore, electrochemical tests reveal a corrosion inhibition efficiency of 94.04%. SP predominantly forms a protective Mg3(PO4)2 layer by reacting with Mg, effectively shielding the Mg surface from the corrosive environment. Theoretical calculations indicated that BA tends to align in a nearly parallel orientation on the Mg (0 0 1) surface. Moreover, BA inhibits the cathodic reaction by adsorbing onto the Mg surface and promotes the activation of Mg on the surface. The synergistic action of SP and BA enhances the efficacy of inhibiting Mg alloy corrosion by creating a protective film and adsorbing to prevent further reactions. (c) 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Titanium matrix composites exhibit higher elastic modulus, strength, and hardness; however, interfacial bonding issues between the reinforcements and the matrix limit their application in engineering tribological components. In this study, microscale laser shock peening without coating (μLSPwC) was applied to the surface of (TiB + La2O3)/IMI834 Ti-matrix composite to enhance their tribological performance. The surface integrity and tribological performance before and after treatment were evaluated. The results show that μLSPwC treatment produced a unique periodic “peaks” and “valleys” surface morphology, induced compression of the near-surface β dendrites, and introduced a compressive residual stress (CRS) layer and a hardened layer to a certain depth, resulting in an increase in surface microhardness of up to 17.86

Similar to NiTi alloys, Ti-based shape memory alloys (SMAs) also suffer from functional fatigue caused by microstructural changes arising from repeated cycling. This fatigue directly shortens their service life and restricts their practical engineering applications. Superelastic Ti-Zr-Nb-Fe SMA wires were fabricated via cold drawing, and the functional fatigue and healing behavior was investigated in the present work. Through a simple short-term low-temperature thermal healing treatment, the functional fatigued alloys exhibit significantly enhanced superelastic cyclic stability. The initial Ti-Zr-Nb-Fe SMA wires exhibited a recoverable strain degradation from 4.90% to 3.44% after 20 cycles. Following thermal healing at 200 °C, the alloy demonstrated an enhanced recoverable strain of 5.20%, which remained at 4.30% after 20 cycles. The recovery and enhancement of recoverable strain after thermal healing was demonstrated likely to be associated with the elimination of residual martensite and the retention of beneficial dislocations. This work puts forward a facile and efficient strategy that can help enhance the short-term cyclic stability of Ti-based SMAs.

Face-centred cubic high-entropy alloys offer remarkable strain hardening and damage tolerance, yet moderate strength limits their performance under dynamic loading. While nanostructures can greatly improve strength, they are thermally unstable. Here we design a thermally stable three-dimensional-heterostructured (FeCoNi)86Al7Ti7 alloy. The hierarchical heterostructure, consisting of bimodal core-shell architecture, uniformly distributed nanoprecipitates and nanosized oxide particles (in the shell), remains stable up to 1,000 °C. The heterostructured alloy achieves high impact toughness, exhibiting 2.2-GPa yield strength and 1,100-MJ m-3 energy absorption density at a strain rate of 5 × 103 s-1. The massive martensitic transformation accommodates strain under impact loading, forms nano-martensite networks that strengthen the material, and sustains plasticity. Strain partitioning between core and shell provides potent back-stress hardening, while profuse interfaces facilitate martensite nucleation. The synergy of heterogeneous deformation, precipitation strengthening and thermally stabilized nanostructures establishes a robust design pathway for alloys with high strength and impact toughness across extreme conditions.

In this study, Zn was introduced into degradable iron by ion implantation and functionalized surfaces with a three-layer gradient structure (Zn/Fe) were obtained. The accelerated corrosion mechanism for Zn/Fe based on microstructure evolution has been revealed. Nanoscale Zn was distributed uniformly and diffusely in the implanted layer, forming a large number of micro primary cells with the iron matrix. High-density dislocations and lattice distortions were introduced by high-energy ion beams beyond the implantation region. Due to a combination of non-equilibrium phase mixing and high-density defect structures, Zn/Fe exhibited accelerated corrosion behavior during 120 days of in vitro immersion experiments.

Intelligent manipulation of fluid has aroused broad interest in the applications of freshwater harvesting, microfluidics, and energy. Despite much progress in this field, significant challenges persist in precisely controlling droplets intelligent driving and selection. Herein, inspired by shorebird beak and Nepenthes' leaf edge, an electric-field-adaptive wrinkled surface (EFAWS) is developed for droplet driving and screening. Wrinkle geometry and lubricant thickness can dynamically regulate through electric field, enabling control trajectory and velocity by programming radial wrinkles and lubricant thickness, EFAWS achieves directional droplet transport and droplet volume-selective sorting. Theoretical models reveal relationships between surface deformation and wetting dynamics, demonstrating size-dependent directional responses governed by lubricant thickness. Volume-specific transport pathways emerge from the capillary forces generated by wrinkles, allowing intelligent screening of microdroplets. EFAWS establishes structure-field-property correlations for designing smart interfaces, with potential applications in microreactors, water harvesting and intelligent fluidic devices with multi-parameter control capabilities.

Hydrogen production via water electrolysis is deemed a prime candidate for large-scale commercial green hydrogen generation. However, during the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), bubble accumulation on the electrode surface substantially elevates the required voltage and diminishes electrolysis efficiency. In this work, we demonstrated a rice leaves-inspired anisotropic microstructured gas conduction electrode (Ni-conduction) that can rapidly detach bubbles from the anisotropic microstructure. The microstructured grooves on the electrode surface lower the interface energy and modify bubble detachment dynamics, enabling swift bubble release and directed bubble flow along the microstructured channels. As a result, the Ni-conduction achieves a reduction in HER/OER overpotential, reaching values of 92/123 mV at 10 mA cm-2. This performance significantly surpasses the performance of a flat nickel electrode (Ni-smooth), necessitating an overpotential of 183/176 mV under identical conditions. Furthermore, the assembled Ni-conduction||Ni-conduction overall water-splitting device only needs a cell voltage of 1.53 V to reach 10 mA cm-2. Our research emphasizes the significance of wettability design in electrode microstructure to enhance mass transfer and optimize water splitting efficiency, presenting novel strategies for the development of superior gas-evolution electrodes.

This study addresses the crack formation problem when laser cladding CoCrFeNiAl high-entropy alloy onto H13 hot-work die steel, aiming to identify suitable transition layer materials. Five nickel-based alloys—Inconel 718, Inconel 625, Hastelloy X, FGH4096, and FGH4169—are selected as alternatives. Three-point bending and hot tensile tests are conducted to assess performance under different stress directions. Test results show that the FGH4096 and FGH4169 coatings fail due to insufficient element diffusion and weak interfacial bonding. Cracks appear at the coating–substrate interface of Inconel 625 and Hastelloy X. In contrast, Inconel 718 performs best, with excellent thermal expansion matching and strong stress resistance. In the three-point bending test, the specimens with Inconel 718 transition layers did not show cracks during the loading process, while specimens with some other alloy transition layers cracked or fractured, which proves that Inconel 718 can effectively enhance the bonding force between the coating and the substrate and improve the material’s performance under bending stress. In the hot tensile test, the stress–strain curve of Inconel 718 is at a high position with a high yield strength, showing excellent resistance to plastic deformation and significantly improving the performance of the nickel-based layer under hot tensile conditions. Therefore, Inconel 718 is identified as the optimal transition layer material.

Microstructured surfaces play a pivotal role in fluid manipulation, leveraging their unique chemical and physical properties to exert precise control over fluid behavior. These structures significantly influence fluid wettability, adhesion, mobility, and dynamic behavior, offering broad prospects in microfluidics, biomedicine, energy, materials science, and other fields. Despite existing challenges related to stability, wear resistance and manufacturing processes, the field of microstructured fluid control holds substantial promise for future advancements. This review surveys the latest advancements in microstructured surface fluid control technology, spanning from the design and fabrication of microstructured surfaces to their applications and deployment across various domains. We initially explore the design principles and fabrication methods of microstructured surfaces, and delve into the strategies employed for fluid manipulation by modulating surface chemistry and morphography. Additionally, the applications of microstructured surfaces in microfluidic control, biomedical engineering, energy harvesting, and environmental monitoring are further emphasized and discussed, showcasing the significant contributions to technological innovation. Finally, the current technical challenges and potential applications of liquid manipulation on microstructured surfaces are featured, and their prospects are discussed based on the current development.