Comparative Evaluation of Titanium Feedstock Powder Derived from Recycled Battlefield Scrap vs. Virgin Powder for Cold Spray Processing.

Gas-atomization is extensively used to produce metallic feedstock powders for additive manufacturing processes, including gas dynamic cold spray processing. This work explores the potential utility of on-demand recycled titanium scrap feedstock powder as a viable substitute for virgin powder sources. Three recycled titanium powders were atomized from different battlefield scrap sources using a mobile foundry developed by MolyWorks Materials Corporation. Recycled titanium alloy powders were compared against virgin Ti-6Al-4V powder to verify there were no significant variations between the recycled and virgin materials. Powder characterization methods included chemical analysis, particle size distribution analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Karl Fischer (KF) titration moisture content analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) phase analysis, microparticle compression testing (MCT), and nanoindentation. Results indicate that recycled titanium powder provides a viable alternative to virgin titanium alloy powders without compromising mechanical capabilities, microstructural features, or ASTM-specified composition and impurity standards. The results of this work will be used to aid future research efforts that will focus on optimizing cold spray parameters to maximize coating density, mechanical strength, and hardness of recycled titanium feedstock powders. "Cold spray" presents opportunities to enhance the sustainability of titanium component production through the utilization of recycled feedstock powder, mitigating issues of long lead times and high waste associated with the use of conventional virgin feedstock.

Establishing a Framework for Fused Filament Fabrication Process Optimization: A Case Study with PLA Filaments.

Developments in polymer 3D printing (3DP) technologies have expanded their scope beyond the rapid prototyping space into other high-value markets, including the consumer sector. Processes such as fused filament fabrication (FFF) are capable of quickly producing complex, low-cost components using a wide variety of material types, such as polylactic acid (PLA). However, FFF has seen limited scalability in functional part production partly due to the difficulty of process optimization with its complex parameter space, including material type, filament characteristics, printer conditions, and "slicer" software settings. Therefore, the aim of this study is to establish a multi-step process optimization methodology-from printer calibration to "slicer" setting adjustments to post-processing-to make FFF more accessible across material types, using PLA as a case study. The results showed filament-specific deviations in optimal print conditions, where part dimensions and tensile properties varied depending on the combination of nozzle temperature, print bed conditions, infill settings, and annealing condition. By implementing the filament-specific optimization framework established in this study beyond the scope of PLA, more efficient processing of new materials will be possible for enhanced applicability of FFF in the 3DP field.

Stability Enhancement and Microstructural Modification of Ni-Rich Cathodes via Halide Doping.

Elemental doping is an effective strategy to modify surface and bulk chemistry in NMC cathode materials. By adding small amounts of lithium halide salts during the calcination process, the Ni-rich NMC811 cathode is doped with Br, Cl, or F halogens. The dopant type has a significant impact on the lithiation process and heavily influences the final cathode porosity and surface morphology. Utilizing a variety of electrochemical, surface, and bulk characterization techniques, it is demonstrated that an initial content of 5 mol % LiBr or LiCl in the lithium source is effective in improving capacity retention while also providing excellent rate performance. The improvements are attributed to a substantial increase in specific surface area, the formation of a stable cathode electrolyte interface (CEI) layer, and suppressed surface reconstruction. In addition, the particle microstructure is better equipped to handle cyclic volume changes with increased values of critical crack lengths. Overall, it is demonstrated that anion doping via the addition of lithium halide salts is a facile approach toward Ni-rich NMC modification for enhanced cathode performance.

Application of Mass Finishing for Surface Modification of Copper Cold Sprayed Material Consolidations.

The surface roughness of additively manufactured (AM) components can have deleterious effects on the properties of the final part, such as corrosion resistance and fatigue life. Modification of the surface finish or parts produced by AM processes, such as cold spray, through methods such as mass finishing, can help to mitigate some of these issues. In this work, the surface evolution of as-produced copper cold sprayed material consolidations was studied through mass finishing. Three different copper powders attained by different production methods and of different sizes were used as feedstock. The surface topography of the cold spray deposits was measured as a function of the mass finishing time for the three copper cold spray samples and analyzed in terms of relative area and complexity, revealing an inverse correlation relating material removal rate and hardness/strength of the cold sprayed deposits. The material removal rate was also affected by the quality of the cold spray deposition, as defined by deposition efficiency (DE). Large initial drops in relative area and complexity are also likely due to the removal of loosely bonded powders at the start of mass finishing. Based on this study, the cold spray parameters that affect the rate of mass finishing have been explored.

On the emergence of antibacterial and antiviral copper cold spray coatings.

In this literature review, the antipathogenic properties and contact-mediated antibacterial and antiviral performance of copper cold spray surfaces are assessed and compared with alternative antimicrobial materials that are able to kill and/or inactivate infectious agents via direct contact. Discussion is also provided concerning the suitability of copper cold spray material consolidations as biocidal and viricidal surfaces that retain long-term functionality as a preventative measure against fomite transmission of pathogenic agents and hospital-acquired infections from contaminated high-touch surfaces. Numerable alternative antimicrobial coatings and surfaces that do not rely upon the oligodynamic action of copper are detailed. Given the ongoing need for recognition of said alternative antimicrobial materials by authoritative agencies, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the relevant literature on non-copper-based antipathogenic coatings and surfaces are then described. Furthermore, a wide-ranging take on antipathogenic copper cold spray coatings are provided and consideration is given to the distinctive grain-boundary mediated copper ion diffusion pathways found in optimizable, highly deformed, copper cold spray material consolidations that enable pathogen inactivation on surfaces from direct contact. To conclude this literature review, analysis of how copper cold spray coatings can be employed as a preventative measure against COVID-19 was also presented in light of on-going debates surrounding SARS-CoV-2's non-primary, but non-negligible, secondary transmission pathway, and also presented in conjunction with the inevitability that future pathogens, which will be responsible for forthcoming global pandemics, may spread even more readily via fomite pathways too.

Antimicrobial Copper Cold Spray Coatings and SARS-CoV-2 Surface Inactivation.

This article contextualizes how the antimicrobial properties and antipathogenic contact killing/inactivating performance of copper cold spray surfaces and coatings and can be extended to the COVID-19 pandemic as a preventative measure. Specifically, literature is reviewed in terms of how copper cold spray coatings can be applied to high-touch surfaces in biomedical as well as healthcare settings to prevent fomite transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through rapidly inactivating SARS-CoV-2 virions after contaminating a surface. The relevant literature on copper-based antipathogenic coatings and surfaces are then detailed. Particular attention is then given to the unique microstructurally-mediated pathway of copper ion diffusion associated with copper cold spray coatings that enable fomite inactivation.

On the Elemental Impact Factor, a Method to Determine an Alloy's Compositional Influences upon Phase Stability and Metallurgical Material Properties.

Design-driven materials engineering is gaining wider acceptance with the advancement and refinement of commercially available thermodynamic software as well as enhanced computing power. Computationally designed materials are a significant improvement over the more common and resource-intensive experimental approach to materials design by way of trial and error. While not entirely eliminating experimental methods for alloy design, thermodynamic and kinetic models provide accurate predictions of phases within a given alloy, which enables material properties to be calculated. Accordingly, the present paper introduces a new technique that offers a systematic method of material design by way of utilizing commercial computational software, which has been termed the elemental impact factor. In turn, the present manuscript considers Al 6061 as a proof-of-concept metallic alloy system for elemental impact factor substantiation. Effects of chemical composition on resultant equilibrium and metastable material phases as well as properties can be efficiently assessed with the elemental impact factor framework for metallurgical materials design. Desired phases or properties may be produced by adding elements with a positive elemental impact factor, while deleterious phases or undesired properties may be reduced by adding elements with a negative elemental impact factor. Therefore, the elemental impact factor methodology was presented and then demonstrated herein with examples that showcase the technique's potential applications and utility for integrated structure-processing-property-performance analysis.

Effects of Extended Aqueous Processing on Structure, Chemistry, and Performance of Polycrystalline LiNixMnyCozO2 Cathode Powders.

The prospect of aqueous processing of LiNixMnyCozO2 (NMC) cathodes has significant appeal to battery manufacturers for the reduction in materials cost, toxicological risk, and environmental impact compared to conventional N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP)-based processing. However, the effects of aqueous processing of NMC powders at industrial timescales are not well studied, with prior studies mostly focusing on relatively brief water washing processes. In this work, we investigate the bulk and surface impacts of extended aqueous processing of polycrystalline NMC powders with different compositions. We demonstrate that at timescales of several hours, polycrystalline NMC is susceptible to intergranular fracture, with the severity of fracture scaling with the NMC nickel content. While bulk crystallinity and composition are unchanged, surface sensitive techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicate that the exposure of water leads to a level of delithiation, nickel reduction, and reconstruction from the layered to rock-salt structure at the surface of individual grains. Dynamic single NMC microparticle compression testing suggests that the resulting mechanical stresses weaken the integrity of the polycrystalline particle and increases susceptibility of intergranular fracture. The initially degraded surfaces along with the increased surface area lead to faster capacity fade and impedance growth during electrochemical cycling. From this work, it is demonstrated that NMC powders require surface or grain boundary modifications to make industrial-scale aqueous cathode processing viable, especially for next-generation nickel-rich NMC chemistries.