The Effect of Zr Addition on Melting Temperature, Microstructure, Recrystallization and Mechanical Properties of a Cantor High Entropy Alloy.

The effect of Zr addition on the melting temperature of the CoCrFeMnNi High Entropy Alloy (HEA), known as the "Cantor's Alloy", is investigated, together with its micro-structure, mechanical properties and thermomechanical recrystallization process. The base and Zr-modified alloys are obtained by vacuum induction melting of mechanically pre-alloyed powders. Raw materials are then cold rolled and annealed. recrystallization occurred during the heat treatment of the cold-rolled HEA. The alloys are characterized by X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, thermal analyses, mechanical spectroscopy and indentation measures. The main advantages of Zr addition are: (1) a fast vacuum induction melting process; (2) the lower melting temperature, due to Zr eutectics formation with all the Cantor's alloy elements; (3) the good chemical alloy homogeneity; and (4) the mechanical properties improvement of re-crystallized grains with a coherent structure. The crystallographic lattice of both alloys results in FCC. The Zr-modified HEA presents a higher recrystallization temperature and smaller grain size after recrystallization with respect to the Cantor's alloy, with precipitation of a coherent second phase, which enhances the alloy hardness and strength.

Nanoporous micro-element arrays for particle interception in microfluidic cell separation.

The ability to control cell-surface interactions in order to achieve binding of specific cell types is a major challenge for microfluidic immunoaffinity cell capture systems. In the majority of existing systems, the functionalized capture surface is constructed of solid materials, where flow stagnation at the solid-liquid interface is detrimental to the convection of cells to the surface. We study the use of ultra-high porosity (99%) nanoporous micro-posts in microfluidic channels for enhancing interception efficiency of particles in flow. We show using both modelling and experiment that nanoporous posts improve particle interception compared to solid posts through two distinct mechanisms: the increase of direct interception, and the reduction of near-surface hydrodynamic resistance. We provide initial validation that the improvement of interception efficiency also results in an increase in capture efficiency when comparing nanoporous vertically aligned carbon nanotube (VACNT) post arrays with solid PDMS post arrays of the same geometry. Using both bacteria (∼1 µm) and cancer cell lines (∼15 µm) as model systems, we found capture efficiency increases by 6-fold and 4-fold respectively. The combined model and experimental platform presents a new generation of nanoporous microfluidic devices for cell isolation.

Microwave assisted combustion synthesis of non-equilibrium intermetallic compounds.

A simplified model of the microwave-assisted combustion synthesis of Ni and Al metal powders to form the NiAl intermetallic on titanium and steel substrates is presented. The simulation couples an electro-thermal model with a chemical model, accounting for local heat generation due to the highly exothermic nature of the reactions between the powders. Numerical results, validated by experimental values, show that the capability of microwaves to convey energy, and not heat, can be used to alter the temperature profiles during and after the combustion synthesis, leading to unique intermetallic microstructures. This phenomenon is ascribed to the extended existence of high temperature liquid intermetallic phases, which react with the metallic substrates at the interface. Moreover, microwave heating selectivity allows to maintain the bulk of the substrate metallic materials to a much lower temperature, compared to combustion synthesis in conventionally heated furnaces, thus reducing possible unwanted transformations like phase change or oxidation.