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Results for “ternary phase diagrams”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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107 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Critical cooling rates for amorphous-to-ordered complexion transitions in Cu-rich nanocrystalline alloys

Amorphous complexions in nanocrystalline metals have the potential to improve mechanical properties and radiation tolerance, as well as resistance to grain growth. In this study, the stability of amorphous complexions in binary and ternary Cu-based alloys is investigated by observing the effect of cooling rate from high temperature on the occurrence of amorphous-to-ordered complexion transitions. Bulk Cu-Zr and Cu-Zr-Hf alloy samples were annealed to induce boundary premelting and then quenched through a procedure that induces a gradient of local cooling rate through the sample height. Amorphous complexion thickness distributions were found to be invariant to local cooling rate in the Cu-Zr-Hf alloy, demonstrating enhanced stability of the amorphous complexion structure compared to the Cu-Zr alloy, which had thinner amorphous complexions in the regions that were slowly cooled. The experimental results are used to construct time-temperature-transformation diagrams for the amorphous-to-ordered complexion transition in both the binary and ternary alloys, enabling a deeper understanding of the influence of cooling rate and grain boundary chemistry on complexion transitions. In conclusion, the critical cooling rate necessary to avoid complexion transitions in the ternary alloy is found to be at least three orders of magnitude slower than that for the binary alloy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Towards libraries of different ultrasmall amorphous silica cage topologies

Cage topology controlled at the nanometer length scale is expected to enable original functionalities, e.g., in catalysis and therapeutics. Cages are fundamental structural motifs of clathrates and their topological duals, Frank-Kasper phases, and are constituents of mesoporous silica frameworks. However, with one exception, they have not been synthesized as discrete particles. By varying reactant ratios of surfactant, oil, and silane, we report the discovery of 5(12)6(2) and 5(12)6(8) amorphous silica polyhedra, each coexisting with the previously identified 5(12) cage, using combined cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) and single-particle reconstruction (SPR). Notably, the 5(12)6(8) polyhedron represents a topology not previously observed in mesoporous silica frameworks. Control over structural features is demonstrated, and insights into cage formation mechanisms are provided. Structural outcomes are summarized in a ternary morphology diagram alongside prior results, bridging serendipitous discovery and intentional design of silica cages displaying a level of control over silica polymerization rivaling nature.

Jang, Dong June [Department of Materials Science a↗
DOE OSTI2022

Tuning chemical precompression: Theoretical design and crystal chemistry of novel hydrides in the quest for warm and light superconductivity at ambient pressures

Over the past decade, a combination of crystal structure prediction techniques and experimental synthetic work has thoroughly explored the phase diagrams of binary hydrides under pressure. The fruitfulness of this dual approach is demonstrated in the recent identification of several superconducting hydrides with T c s approaching room temperature. We start with an overview of the computational procedures for predicting stable structures and estimating their propensity for superconductivity. A survey of phases with high T c reveals some common structural features that appear conducive to the strong coupling of the electronic structure with atomic vibrations that leads to superconductivity. We discuss the stability and superconducting properties of phases containing two of these—molecular H 2 units mixed with atomic H and hydrogenic clathrate-like cages—as well as more unique motifs. Lastly, we argue that ternary hydride phases, whose exploration is still in its infancy, are a promising route to achieve simultaneous superconductivity at high temperatures and stability at low pressures. Several ternary hydrides arise from the addition of a third element to a known binary hydride structure through site mixing or onto a new site, and several more are based on altogether new structural motifs.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Increasing the composition range of a novel τ 11 -Al 4 Fe 1.7 Si alloy with additions of Mn

Automotive applications need low-cost, lightweight, high-temperature alloys to increase vehicle efficiency. The Al–Fe–Si system provides an opportunity to develop such a material, as it consists of three low-cost elements that are all abundant in nature. Specifically, the τ 11 -Al 4 Fe 1.7 Si ternary intermetallic phase is a high-temperature, lightweight phase with high strength and good corrosion resistance. However, this phase exhibits a narrow compositional range of stability, resulting in undesirable microstructures forming during solidification and processing, limiting its use in potential applications. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and a thermodynamically-driven experimental approach utilizing diffusion couples were employed to study the effect of Mn on the stability and composition range of τ 11 -Al 4 Fe 1.7 Si. The DFT calculations showed a decrease in the energy of the structure when alloying with Mn. Experimental results confirmed the predictions from the DFT calculations, indicating that alloying with Mn increases the compositional range, and thus the processability of this phase. New phase diagrams and equilibria are proposed by exploring and determining phase boundaries for the τ 11 -Al 4 Fe 1.7 Si phase with Mn.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

A modified scheil approach for nucleation-dependent solidification pathways

As-solidified microstructures of near-eutectic alloys often contain multiple primary phases that are not expected from equilibrium phase diagrams. Such microstructures are caused by cooling-rate-dependent solidification pathways, a factor not captured by the Scheil–Gulliver model or variations thereof. Here, we present a model and algorithm that incorporate the critical nucleation undercooling for each solid phase into the Scheil–Gulliver model. We hypothesize that the non-equilibrium microstructure formation is primarily governed by a nucleation-competition mechanism. This mechanism accounts for both stable/metastable phase selection and primary-phase formation within eutectic regions driven by asymmetric nucleation barriers. The model is validated against a hypereutectic Al-Fe alloy, where it successfully reproduces the observed microstructural constituents, revealing the key dependencies of solidification microstructure on nucleation kinetics. Applicability to multicomponent systems is demonstrated through a hypereutectic Al–Fe–Si ternary alloy, where the model successfully predicts divorced eutectic microstructures and the associated oscillatory solidification pathways along univariant lines. As a result, the proposed framework establishes a nucleation-dependent computational approach for interpreting and predicting solidification microstructures.

Alloy design↗
DOE OSTI2026

Thin-Film Stabilization and Magnetism of η -Carbide-Type Iron Nitrides

Transition-metal nitrides in ..eta..-carbide-type structures exhibit unusual bonding motifs and proximity to magnetic instabilities. Yet they remain unexplored in thin-film form due to the difficulty of stabilizing nitrogen-poor ternaries among competing phases. Here, we report the thin-film synthesis and phase-stability mapping of the ..eta..-nitride systems Fe-W-N and Fe-Mo-N. Amorphous Fe-M-N (M = W, Mo) combinatorial libraries deposited by reactive cosputtering crystallize upon rapid thermal annealing, enabling systematic identification of synthesis windows as a function of composition and annealing temperature. Using laboratory powder X-ray diffraction and synchrotron grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering, we establish that Fe 3 Mo 3 N-based ..eta..-carbide phases form over a substantially broader compositional and thermal range than W-based compositions, where ..eta.. structures are stabilized only when the films are Fe-rich. These trends are rationalized using mixed chemical-potential vs composition phase diagrams that capture the narrow nitrogen chemical-potential stability of ..eta..-nitrides. Magnetic measurements reveal that ferromagnetism is induced in Fe-rich Fe 3.54 Mo 2.46 N with a small exchange-bias-like response that is absent in Fe 3 W 3 N-based compositions, highlighting the sensitivity of magnetic behavior to modest deviations from stoichiometry. This work establishes practical thin-film synthesis routes for ..eta..-nitride materials and demonstrates how composition can be tuned to access emergent magnetic phenomena in these complex nitrides.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Data-driven approach to parameterize SCAN + U for an accurate description of 3 d transition metal oxide thermochemistry

Semilocal density-functional theory (DFT) methods exhibit significant errors for the phase diagrams of transition-metal oxides that are caused by an incorrect description of molecular oxygen and the large self-interaction error in materials with strongly localized electronic orbitals. Empirical and semiempirical corrections based on the DFT + U method can reduce these errors, but the parameterization and validation of the correction terms remains an on-going challenge. Here we develop a systematic methodology to determine the parameters and to statistically assess the results by considering interlinked thermochemical data across a set of transition metal compounds. We consider three interconnected levels of correction terms: (1) a constant oxygen binding correction, (2) Hubbard-U correction, and (3) DFT/DFT + U compatibility correction. The parameterization is expressed as a unified optimization problem. We demonstrate this approach for 3d transition metal oxides, considering a target set of binary and ternary oxides. With a total of 37 measured formation enthalpies taken from the literature, the dataset is augmented by the reaction energies of 1710 unique reactions that were derived from the formation energies by systematic enumeration. To ensure a balanced dataset across the available data, the reactions were grouped by their similarity using clustering and suitably weighted. The parameterization is validated using leave-one-out cross validation (CV), a standard technique for the validation of statistical models. We apply the methodology to the strongly constrained and appropriately normed (SCAN) density functional. Based on the CV score, the error of binary (ternary) oxide formation energies is reduced by 40% (75%) to 0.10 (0.03) eV/atom. A simplified correction scheme that does not involve SCAN/SCAN + U compatibility terms still achieves an error reduction of 30% (25%). The method and tools demonstrated here can be applied to other classes of materials or to parameterize the corrections to optimize DFT + U performance for other target physical properties.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Mechanistically Guided Materials Chemistry: Synthesis of Ternary Nitrides, CaZrN 2 and CaHfN 2

Recent computational studies have predicted many new ternary nitrides, revealing synthetic opportunities in this underexplored phase space. However, synthesizing new ternary nitrides is difficult, in part because intermediate and product phases often have high cohesive energies that inhibit diffusion. Here, we report the synthesis of two new phases, calcium zirconium nitride (CaZrN 2 ) and calcium hafnium nitride (CaHfN 2 ), by solid state metathesis reactions between Ca 3 N2 and MCl 4 (M = Zr, Hf). Although the reaction nominally proceeds to the target phases in a 1:1 ratio of the precursors via Ca 3 N 2 + MCl4 → CaMN 2 + 2 CaCl 2 , reactions prepared this way result in Ca-poor materials (Ca x M 2–x N2, x < 1). A small excess of Ca 3 N 2 (ca. 20 mol %) is needed to yield stoichiometric CaMN 2 , as confirmed by high-resolution synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction. In situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction studies reveal that nominally stoichiometric reactions produce Zr 3+ intermediates early in the reaction pathway, and the excess Ca 3 N 2 is needed to reoxidize Zr 3+ intermediates back to the Zr 4+ oxidation state of CaZrN 2 . Analysis of computationally derived chemical potential diagrams rationalizes this synthetic approach and its contrast from the synthesis of MgZrN 2 . These findings additionally highlight the utility of in situ diffraction studies and computational thermochemistry to provide mechanistic guidance for synthesis.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Thermodynamic Modeling of the Al-Ce-Cu-Mg-Si System and Its Application to Aluminum-Cerium Alloy Design

Recently discovered AlCe alloys have shown promise in a number of applications, but the propensity of Ce to react with Al and other alloying elements can complicate the phase equilibria and design approach. To solve this, the CALPHAD method is used to explore an alloy within the quinary Al-Ce-Cu-Mg-Si system by developing a thermodynamic database with self-consistent parameters. The database includes a description of all 10 binary systems and 8 ternary systems consisting of: (i) 6 Al-containing ternaries (Al-Ce-Cu, Al-Ce-Mg, Al-Ce-Si, Al-Cu-Mg, Al-Cu-Si and Al-Mg-Si); and (ii) 2 additional ternaries that include Mg and Si (i.e., Ce-Mg-Si and Cu-Mg-Si). The thermodynamic description for the Al-Ce-Mg and Al-Mg-Si systems were reassessed to ensure consistency with the binary systems and the Ce-Mg-Si system is presented for the first time and compared to theoretical data from DFT (Density Functional Theory). In addition to the ternary interactions, the quaternary compound Al3Cu2Mg9Si7 and solid solution extending from the ternary Al2CuMg phase (Al,Si)2CuMg are incorporated. The CALPHAD method is employed and leveraged through the use of a Materials Design Simulator (MDS) to accelerate the design of novel aluminum-cerium-based alloys. The combination of a CALPHAD-based framework with experimental efforts and industrial insight permits the development of three new Al-Ce alloys: Al-3.5Ce-0.4Mg-7Si (Ce-modified A356), Al-5Ce-1Cu-0.5Mg-10Si and Al-19Ce-0.9Mg-1.1Si.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Thermodynamic modeling of CsF with LiF-NaF-KF for molten fluoride-fueled reactors

Gibbs energy models were developed to describe the thermochemical behavior of CsF in molten FLiNaK (46.5LiF-11.5NaF-42KF mol%), a proposed molten salt reactor (MSR) fuel solvent and coolant, as cesium is of concern due to its high radiotoxicity and volatility. Initially, it was necessary to obtain a more accurate Gibbs energy function for CsF which required fitting parameters to reported vapor pressures over condensed phase CsF. The pseudo-binary systems CsF-LiF, CsF-NaF and CsF-KF were then evaluated utilizing phase equilibria and enthalpy of mixing (Δ mix H) values, together with original differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements performed for the CsF-LiF and CsF-KF systems. The CsF-LiF-NaF, CsF-LiF-KF and CsF-NaF-KF pseudo-ternary system representations were obtained by interpolation of the constituent pseudo-binary systems, with DSC measurements performed for the CsF-LiF-NaF system to corroborate the calculated liquidus temperature. Ultimately, the pseudo-ternary systems were interpolated to obtain Gibbs energy models for the pseudo-quaternary CsF-LiF-NaF-KF system, supported by DSC measurements at low CsF compositions (1–10 mol%), yielding computed equilibria and cesium-containing vapor pressures that compare favorably with reported values. In conclusion, the Molten Salt Thermal Properties Database – Thermochemical (MSTDB-TC) was subsequently expanded to include these Gibbs energy models allowing description of the thermochemical behavior of the CsF-LiF-NaF-KF system.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Data-Efficient Methods for Determining Flory–Huggins χ Parameters in Multicomponent Polymer Formulations

Polymer formulations are essential in diverse applications including personal care products, coatings, paints, adhesives, and plastic materials. Designing these formulations requires navigating large, complex design spaces, where phase and self-assembly behavior critically impact performance. The Flory–Huggins χ parameter, which quantifies segmental miscibility, is widely used to parametrize the excess free energy of mixing in formulation models. In this work, we introduce two data-efficient, top-down methods for estimating χ parameters using the Random Phase Approximation (RPA): (i) Boundary Nonlinear Regression (Boundary-NLR), which fits theoretical spinodal boundaries to experimental phase boundaries, and (ii) Surrogate Model Inverse Parameter Estimation (SMIPE), which uses a Gaussian Process Classifier to fit sparse phase maps via a surrogate model. Both methods allow rapid parametrization of polymer field-theoretic models without the need for additional experiments. We evaluate these approaches on data sets involving polymer–solvent–nonsolvent ternary mixtures and block copolymer–solvent systems, demonstrating their robustness to experimental noise and their relevance for real-world formulation design.

copolymers↗
DOE OSTI2021

Ab Initio Modeling of fcc Fe-Co-Cr-Ni High Entropy Alloys with Full Composition Range

The Fe-Co-Cr-Ni quaternary system has been studied extensively in the past decade, not only because of the superior properties achieved like high tensile ductility and fracture toughness, but also it is the foundation for the development of FeCrCoNi-based HEAs. However, most of the investigations are mainly focusing on the equiatomic and semi-equiatomic compositions. The physical properties of non-equiatomic compositions are barely explored. In the current work, the ab initio approach is adopted to predict the lattice parameter, structure stabilities, elastic properties, and enthalpy of formations of fcc Fe-Cr-Co-Ni HEA single crystals with the special quasirandom structure (SQS) method. To expand the design of Fe-Co-Cr-Ni HEAs into a full composition range, the current simulations cover all the binaries, ternaries, and the whole quaternary system. The 2-D composition-property contour diagrams are created to show the physical properties in the ternary and quaternary systems. Furthermore, our investigation shows that the fcc alloys' lattice parameter increases with the addition of Fe and Cr and decreases with Ni and Co. In addition to the enthalpy of formation at o K, the shape distortion rate is proposed to be another essential parameter to evaluate crystal stability. The results show the addition of Cr would destabilize the fcc lattice and cause symmetry breaking. Finally, the result of Pugh’s ratio shows that most of the fcc alloys show ductile behavior (P > 1.75), especially for the alloys around Fe 3 Ni, FeCo, and Fe 2 NiCo (P > 2.5). The brittle behavior (P < 1.75) is located around Fe 3 Cr and Fe 2 CoCr. Meanwhile, Cr 2 NiCo and Cr 2 FeNiCo are considered promising compositions to be tried and verified experimentally because of the higher bulk modulus and moderate shear modulus.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Phase Equilibria and Thermochemistry of Advanced Fuels: Modeling Burnup Behavior (Final Report)

Achieving the goal of developing advanced fuel concepts that meet the DOE objectives of being robust, demonstrating high performance, and are more tolerant of accident conditions than current fuel systems will require a thorough understanding of the thermophysical and thermochemical properties of the constituent materials. Non-oxide fuel systems are being explored under the Advanced Fuels Program that hold significant promise for improved performance and accident tolerance, including the uranium silicide-based system considered in the current work. Prospective cladding materials currently considered that contribute to improved accident tolerance include silicon carbide composites and ferritic alloys (Fe-Cr-Al base compositions). Thus, the effort developed thermochemical models and values, supported with targeted experiments, to evaluate the ferritic alloy and silicon carbide composite cladding systems in contrast to current zirconium alloy cladding. The developed detailed understanding will serve to aid in relatively early screening of candidate systems to avoid wasted effort, guide development of new fuel forms, and to provide a basis for predicting and modeling fuel performance. Major deliverables for the project included: Thermochemical assessment and models of phases in the U-Si and U-Si-N systems; thermochemical evaluation supported by experimental measurements of fuel-cladding interactions of silicide fuel with baseline zirconium, ceramic composite, and ferritic alloy cladding; thermochemical assessment and models of phases supported by experimental measurements for silicide fuel with key fission products provided in a dataset and reported in refereed publications. Within the project a significantly refined U-Si phase diagram was developed and reported that now includes homogeneity ranges for key phases, such at the U 3 Si 2 proposed fuel phase, and settles issues with regard to uncertainty in the stability of some phases. Computational efforts together with key experiments has determined phase formation in interactions between U 3 Si 2 and Zircaloy-4 cladding material, a ferritic FeCrAlY alloy of interest as an advanced cladding material, and silicon carbide, also of interest as a fiber-reinforced composite cladding. As expected, very significant reactions occur between U3Si2 and Zircaloy-4, with much less interaction at higher temperatures for the ferritic alloy, and finally interactions with SiC only in the region of contact. A potentially major issue is the stability of U 3 Si 2 fuel that has undergone significant burnup. The result is the loss of the uranium metal, liberating silicon, and the formation of concomitant fission product elements that either dissolve in the U 3 Si 2 phase or form independent, and possibly silicide phases. A combination of experimental determinations of phase formation of U 3 Si 2 reacted with representative fission products yttrium, gadolinium, cerium, zirconium, and molybdenum and first principles calculations has helped understand the fuel chemistry. The behavior of the U 3 Si 2 phase and the partitioning of silicon to possible fission product phases with burnup was thus determined, with significant dissolution in U 3 Si 2 of cerium, gadolinium, zirconium, and plutonium predicted along with independent phase formation of a U-Mo-Si ternary phase, yttrium silicide, and elemental selenium. It can be concluded that at significant burnup there will be a very minor amount of the U 3 Si 2 fuel phase that will decompose to a lower silicide or a uranium alloy as silicon preferentially forms a secondary phase.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2025

The Ce-Fe-Ti System: Phase Equilibria in the Fe-rich Corner at 1000 °C

The rare earth–iron–transition metal systems are of increasing interest in the search for novel permanent magnet phases. This work reports on the solidification behavior, phase equilibria and stability range of solid phases in the ternary Ce-Fe-Ti system, focusing on the iron-rich region (> 65 at.% Fe) of the isothermal section at 1000 °C. Further, two ternary phases Ce 1.03 Fe 12-x Ti x (x = 0.87–1.02) with ThMn 12 structure type and Ce 3.06 Fe 27.6 Ti 1.4 with Nd 3 Fe 29 structure type were observed. Magnetic measurements of Ce 1.03 Fe 12-x Ti x and Ce 3.06 Fe 27.6 Ti 1.4 revealed ferromagnetic ordering with Curie temperatures of 550 K and 327 K, respectively.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Experimental Liquidus Study of the Ternary CaO-ZnO-SiO{sub 2} System

Phase equilibria of the ternary CaO-ZnO-SiO{sub 2} system have been investigated at 1170 °C to 1691 °C for oxide liquid in equilibrium with air and solid oxide phases: tridymite or cristobalite SiO{sub 2} (up to two immiscible liquids), pseudowollastonite (CS) CaSiO{sub 3}, rankinite (C{sub 3}S{sub 2}) Ca{sub 3}Si{sub 2}O{sub 7}, dicalcium silicate (C{sub 2}S) (Ca, Zn){sub 2}SiO{sub 4}, tricalcium silicate (C{sub 3}S) (Ca, Zn){sub 3}SiO{sub 5}, lime (Ca, Zn)O, zincite (Zn, Ca)O, willemite Zn{sub 2}SiO{sub 4} and hardystonite (melilite) Ca{sub 2}ZnSi{sub 2}O{sub 7}, covering the ranges of concentrations not studied before. High-temperature equilibration on primary phase (silica) or inert metal (platinum) substrates followed by quenching and direct measurement of the Ca, Zn and Si concentrations in the phases with the electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPMA) has been used to accurately characterize the system. Liquidus phase equilibrium data of the present authors for the CaO-ZnO-SiO{sub 2} system are essential to obtain a self-consistent set of parameters of thermodynamic models for all phases.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Thermodynamic properties of ZrCl 4 with LiCl, NaCl, KCl, CsCl, MgCl 2 , and UCl 3 for molten salt reactor applications

Here, a set of self-consistent Gibbs energy functions has been developed to describe the thermochemical behavior of the major reactive fission product ZrCl 4 with key components in chloride molten salt reactors (MSRs): LiCl–ZrCl 4 , NaCl–ZrCl 4 , KCl–ZrCl 4 , CsCl–ZrCl 4 , MgCl 2 –ZrCl 4 and UCl 3 –ZrCl 4 . Low ZrCl 4 concentration phase equilibria most relevant to MSR applications have been confirmed via differential scanning calorimetry for NaCl–ZrCl 4 , and X-ray diffraction analysis performed on equilibrated samples of NaCl–ZrCl 4 , KCl–ZrCl 4 , MgCl 2 –ZrCl 4 , and UCl 3 –ZrCl 4 . Within the framework of the modified quasi-chemical model in the quadruplet approximation, extrapolations of pseudo-binary models were generated to represent KCl–MgCl 2 –ZrCl 4 , KCl–NaCl–ZrCl 4 , and MgCl 2 –NaCl–ZrCl 4 , which show agreement with phase equilibria data where available without the use of ternary interaction parameters. The optimized thermodynamic descriptions for these systems and others are available in the open-source compendium Molten Salt Thermal Properties Database – Thermochemical (MSTDB–TC).

CALPHAD↗