Alloying is a key process in creating new materials. By combining metals with desirable traits, scientists can produce alloys with suitable properties. For example, stainless steel, formed by combining iron with chromium, nickel, and other elements in smaller quantities is highly resistant to corrosion.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The interdiffusion of Ni and W results in the formation of Ni 4 W as an intermetallic layer. At the interface between the Ni 4 W layer and Ni phase, Kirkendall voids are observed. Credit: Minho Oh A class of alloy of particular interest for military applications is the nickel–tungsten alloys (Ni–W). These alloys possess high durability, making them useful as coatings. As Ni and W have different properties, their joining interface forms unique layers where intermetallic compounds (IMCs) and diffusion induced recrystallization (DIR) regions are formed through processes such as diffusion and interfacial reactions. These regions exhibit significantly different mechanical, thermal, and chemical behaviors compared to the rest of the alloy. Therefore, understanding the properties of these interfaces is an important aspect of designing alloys with suitable properties. Now, researchers led by Assistant Professor Minho Oh from Tokyo Institute of Technology and including Professor Hee-Soo Kim, currently at Chosun University, South Korea, have revealed how various phases, including IMCs, are formed within a Ni–W alloy. Their findings published in the Journal of Alloys and Compounds can prove valuable in developing Ni–W alloys that last…