AMP 03 May 2026

20 23 28 P. 15 Sustainable Aviation through AM Cutting Edge NDT for Aircraft Materials All Metal Aluminaire House ALLOY 718: EARLY IMPACT ON AERO ENGINES AEROSPACE MATERIALS AND TESTING MAY 2026 | VOL 184 | NO 3

Phone: 1-269-985-5496 | info@leco.com www.leco.com | © 2026 LECO Corporation EMPOWERING RESULTS Elemental Analysis | GC Mass Spectrometry | Metallography Metallography A full range of sample preparation and examination equipment including sectioning, mounting, grinding/polishing, hardness testing, microscopes, and consumables H836EN High-sensitivity Hydrogen analyzer enabling precise surface and bulk measurements in Aluminum GDS900 High resolution GD-OES for bulk elemental and surface analysis of Aluminum and Aluminum alloys Results You Can Trust for Aluminum & High-Performance Materials Sample Preparation Hardness Testing Microscopic Examination

MAY 25–27, 2027 | PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA RENAISSANCE PALM SPRINGS HOTEL AEROSPACE MATERIALS & PROCESSES: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE Join us for the 38th AeroMat Conference & Exposition, taking place May 25–27, 2027, in Palm Springs, California. As the aerospace sector continues to evolve, advancements in materials development, manufacturing, design, and characterization remain central to enabling next generation capabilities. Legacy materials continue to be refined through improved utilization and characterization methods, supporting OEM efforts to evaluate cost effective systems and modern manufacturing approaches. With many past and current platforms expected to remain in service for years to come, analytical needs for these materials continue to expand as new tools and techniques emerge. Contemporary materials are undergoing continuous refinement to meet platform level constraints, including cost targets, production rate readiness, and manufacturability requirements. Technical sessions will address these constraints and present data driven approaches to resolving them. Looking ahead, organizations across the industry will showcase newly engineered materials designed for future aerospace structures and propulsion systems. We invite you to join industry, government, and academic leaders as they present insights in addition to keynote speakers and panel discussions on materials that have shaped the past, define the present, and enable the future of aerospace. Organized by: Abstracts are currently being solicited for (but not limited to) the following topics: • Additive Manufacturing • Sustainable and Enabling Materials and Processes • Titanium Alloy Technology • Light Alloy Technology • Welding and Joining • Aerospace Coatings • High Temperature and Gas Turbine Materials • Modeling and Simulation of Manufacturing Processes • Integrated Computational Materials Engineering • Residual Stress for Aerospace Components • Space Materials and Applications • Advanced Forming and Thermomechanical Processing • Materials Characterization and Failure Analysis • Low Cost Manufacturing and Affordable Structures • Composite Materials and Structures • Tribology and Wear of Aerospace Materials • Multifunctional Materials CALLING ALL AUTHORS AeroMat 2027 will only accept abstract submissions of 300 words or less in English via our online abstract service. Please go to www.AeroMatEvent.org to begin your submission process. The system is self-explanatory and will allow the user return access after signing up. Then the abstract may be edited as needed before the November 16, 2026 deadline. *To maintain the integrity of AeroMat, please obtain pre-approval to present your work at the conference before submitting your abstract. All costs associated with your participation will be at your expense (travel, housing, and registration fee).

32 MID-CENTURY MODERN: THE ART OF METAL PROGRESS MAGAZINE Scott Henry The unique covers of Metal Progress magazine showcased an array of metals applications and attributes while exhibiting a stunning range of artistic expression. ALLOY 718: PART I, QUINTESSENTIAL AERO-ENGINE SUPERALLOY John deBarbadillo This first installment in a three-part series introduces the initial discovery and early impact of alloy 718 on aerospace engines. 15 ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | MAY 2026 2 A front view of an SR-71B Blackbird strategic reconnaissance training aircraft on the runway at sundown. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. On the Cover: 40 ASM NEWS The latest news about ASM members, chapters, events, awards, conferences, affiliates, and other Society activities. ALUMINAIRE HOUSE LIVES ANEW IN PALM SPRINGS Hallie Chavez and Frauke Hogue The first all-metal residence in the U.S., which pioneered aluminum and steel construction as a scalable, affordable housing prototype, has been restored and reinstalled at the Palm Springs Art Museum. 28

4 Editorial 5 Research Tracks 10 Machine Learning 6 Metals/Polymers/Ceramics 8 Testing/Characterization 11 Process Technology 12 Emerging Technology 13 Energy Trends 55 Editorial Preview 55 Special Advertising Section 55 Advertisers Index 56 3D PrintShop TRENDS INDUSTRY NEWS DEPARTMENTS Check out the Digital Edition online at asminternational.org/news/magazines/am-p ASM International serves materials professionals, nontechnical personnel, and managers worldwide by providing high-quality materials information, education and training, networking opportunities, and professional development resources in cost-effective and user-friendly formats. ASM is where materials users, producers, and manufacturers converge to do business. Advanced Materials & Processes (ISSN 0882-7958, USPS 762080) publishes six issues per year: January, March, May, July, September, and November, by ASM International, 9639 Kinsman Road, Materials Park, OH 44073-0002; tel: 440.338.5151; fax: 440.338.4634. Periodicals postage paid at Novelty, Ohio, and additional mailing offices. Vol. 184, No. 3, MAY 2026. Copyright © 2026 by ASM International®. All rights reserved. Distributed at no charge to ASM members in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. International members can pay a $30 per year surcharge to receive printed issues. Subscriptions: $499. Single copies: $54. POSTMASTER: Send 3579 forms to ASM International, Materials Park, OH 44073-0002. Change of address: Request for change should include old address of the subscriber. Missing numbers due to “change of address” cannot be replaced. Claims for nondelivery must be made within 60 days of issue. Printed by Kodi Collective, Lebanon Junction, Ky. FEATURES MAY 2026 | VOL 184 | NO 3 ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | MAY 2026 3 20 34 36 23 20 TECHNICAL SPOTLIGHT SHAPING THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE AVIATION THROUGH ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING AND COLLABORATION As aerospace races toward net-zero emissions, additive manufacturing has enabled the design of intricate, lightweight heat exchangers that address thermal management challenges of next-generation propulsion systems. 23 TECHNICAL SPOTLIGHT PUSHING THE LIMITS: CUTTING-EDGE AIRCRAFT MATERIALS DEMAND NEW APPROACHES TO NDT INSPECTION Phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT) is advancing and expanding to support both manufacturing and maintenance environments. 34 STEEL REBARS MEET STRENGTH AND DURABILITY DEMANDS Christian Paglia A special treatment used in steel rebar production addresses the need for improved mechanical properties and corrosion protection. 36 AEROMAT 2026 SHOWCASE 38 ITSC 2026 HIGHLIGHTS 39 HEAT TREAT MEXICO 2026 HIGHLIGHTS

4 ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | MAY 2026 ASM International 9639 Kinsman Road, Materials Park, OH 44073 Tel: 440.338.5151 • Fax: 440.338.4634 Joanne Miller, Editor joanne.miller@asminternational.org Victoria Burt, Managing Editor vicki.burt@asminternational.org Frances Richards and Corinne Richards Contributing Editors Anne Vidmar, Layout and Design Allison Freeman, Production Manager allie.freeman@asminternational.org EDITORIAL COMMITTEE John Shingledecker, Chair, EPRI Beth Armstrong, Vice Chair, Oak Ridge National Lab Adam Farrow, Past Chair, Los Alamos National Lab Yun Bai, Ford Carl Boehlert, Michigan State University Punnathat Bordeenithikasem, Machina Labs Daniel Grice, Materials Evaluation & Engineering Surojit Gupta, University of North Dakota Hideyuki Kanematsu, Suzuka National College of Technology Ibrahim Karaman, Texas A&M University Ricardo Komai, Tesla Krassimir Marchev, Northeastern University Bhargavi Mummareddy, Dimensional Energy Scott Olig, U.S. Naval Research Lab Christian Paglia, SUPSI Institute of Materials and Construction Ryan Paul, GrafTech International Satyam Sahay, John Deere Technology Center India Abhijit Sengupta, USA Federal Government Kumar Sridharan, University of Wisconsin Vasisht Venkatesh, Howmet Aerospace ASM BOARD OF TRUSTEES Elizabeth Ho man, President and Chair Daniel P. Dennies, Senior Vice President Tirumalai Sudarshan, Vice President Navin Manjooran, Immediate Past President William Jarosinski, Treasurer Rahul Gupta Hanchen Huang Victoria Miller Christopher J. Misorski Erik Mueller Ramana G. Reddy JP Singh Dehua Yang Fan Zhang Veronica Becker, Executive Director STUDENT BOARD MEMBERS Victoria Anson, Emily Ghosh, Wyeth Haddock Individual readers of Advanced Materials & Processes may, without charge, make single copies of pages therefrom for personal or archival use, or may freely make such copies in such numbers as are deemed useful for educational or research purposes and are not for sale or resale. Permission is granted to cite or quote from articles herein, provided customary acknowledgment of the authors and source is made. The acceptance and publication of manuscripts in Advanced Materials & Processes does not imply that the reviewers, editors, or publisher accept, approve, or endorse the data, opinions, and conclusions of the authors. PARTNERS IN AWE The world watched in wonder as Artemis II rocketed us into the next phase of moon exploration and reopened the skies for more space discovery to come. Part of the magic that led to the tremendous success of the mission was the multitude of innovations in materials and other engineering disciplines that occurred since Apollo 17. The new slate of Artemis missions provides an inspiring human challenge that brings together the brilliance of engineers worldwide to advance their areas of expertise to take us to the next stage of space travel. Whether through partnerships or competition, it was the whole engineering community coming together that launched four astronauts around the moon in April and brought them back safely. NASA worked with the Canadian Space Agency for robotic arms and the European Space Agency for lunar habitation elements. And let us not forget NASA’s industry partners who worked on aspects of Orion and the Space Launch System including Aerojet Rocketdyne, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, to name a few. Now, two of NASA’s partners, Blue Origin and SpaceX, are each vying for their lunar lander to be selected to dock with Orion during Artemis III in 2027. This healthy competition will lead to space vehicles with more sustainable designs and increased technological functions. A similar industry matchup occurred in the early days of Alloy 718. In the first of a three-part article series, we learn how ASM Fellow Herbert Eiselstein was the metallurgist behind the original composition. But then, what drove the alloy’s initial success was the competition between its early adopters: Latrobe Steel, Special Metals, Carpenter, and Allvac. They each advanced 718’s usage by experimenting and perfecting various new manufacturing processes. Those key innovations introduced by each company proved its commercial viability. Subsequent engine-related applications of 718 by GE and Pratt & Whitney helped forge the alloy’s place in aerospace history. In addition to being a powerhouse aeroengine competitor, Pratt & Whitney also knows the benefits of partnership due to its longtime connection with the University of Connecticut as highlighted on our Research Tracks news page. With Pratt recently marking 100 years of innovation, the symbiotic relationship with the university has led to a new aerospace engineering major at UConn and a pipeline of qualified candidates for Pratt’s workforce, among many other benefits. In another teaming example, Conflux recently joined Honeywell’s consortium to advance thermal management for hybrid-electric aircraft. They discuss this initiative as well as their collaboration with Airbus in their article about sustainable aviation in this issue. It is the continuum of innovations through engineering discoveries, whether via partnerships or competition, that will get us to the next stage of aerospace and outer space inventions. The world will watch again with wonder and awe. joanne.miller@asminternational.org Earthset view by Artemis II team. Courtesy of NASA.

ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | MAY 2026 5 RESEARCH TRACKS MOISTURE WEAKENS CARBON FIBER Engineers at Monash University and RMIT University, both in Australia, found that moisture absorption is the most important factor in how carbon fiber used in aircraft degrades over time. They say the discovery could help the aerospace industry predict material aging more accurately, improve aircraft maintenance planning, and design longer-lasting composite structures. Carbon fiber reinforced polymers are widely used in modern aircraft because they are lightweight, extremely strong, and resistant to corrosion, but these materials can slowly absorb moisture from the environment during service, gradually weakening from within. The study investigated how different carbon fiber laminate designs aged under a range of hot and humid environmental conditions. The researchers wanted to understand whether higher temperatures caused different types of damage or whether they simply accelerated the aging process. The results revealed a clear and important finding: The amount of moisture absorbed by the material, rather than the specific temperature or humidity conditions, is the main factor controlling how the material degrades over time. The research also revealed that the internal arrangement of carbon fibers plays a role in how well the material resists environmental damage. Using advanced imaging techniques, the team observed microscopic internal damage forming as the material aged, including tiny voids, cracks, and weakening of the bond between fibers and the surrounding polymer matrix. Some fiber layouts were able to retain their strength well, while others proved significantly more sensitive to moisture-related degradation. monash.edu. PRATT & WHITNEY CELEBRATES CENTENNIAL Pratt & Whitney, headquartered in East Hartford, Connecticut, recently celebrated its 100-year anniversary, commemorating a century of innovation in aerospace engineering. More than 11,000 employees work at the company’s headquarters and manufacturing facilities, many of whom are graduates of the University of Connecticut (UConn). “UConn Engineering’s partnership with Pratt & Whitney has never been stronger,” says dean JC Zhao, FASM. “We are grateful for the support of Pratt & Whitney to UConn Engineering over the decades.” The Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company was founded in 1925 by Fred- erick Brant Rentschler and George Mead. Pratt’s first engine, completed in late 1925, was named the R-1340 Wasp. After passing its official qualification test, the U.S. Navy ordered 200 of the 425-hp Wasp due to its speed, climb performance, and reliability. Rentschler remained president of Pratt’s parent company United Aircraft Corp., which became United Technologies in 1975, until his passing in 1956. In April 2020, United Technologies merged with Raytheon and became RTX Corp. RTX consists of Pratt & Whitney, Collins Aerospace, and Raytheon. Today, Pratt has 90,000 engines in service on 500 unique aircraft types. In addition to providing scholarships, professorships, and supporting senior design projects, Pratt & Whitney accepts 20 to 30 UConn engineering interns every year. After commencement, most of them are hired by Pratt. More than 2200 UConn alums work for the company and roughly 21% of all Pratt & Whitney engineers in the United States are UConn alums, representing more than any other university across the country. “We look forward to another century of partnership with Pratt & Whitney,” says Zhao. “We are here to support the aerospace and aviation industry in Connecticut with our talent pool and technological innovations.” uconn.edu. Carbon fiber reinforced polymers can slowly absorb moisture from the environment during service. Pratt & Whitney recently celebrated its 100-year anniversary.

ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | MAY 2026 6 METALS | POLYMERS | CERAMICS to enhance process controls and energy efficiency in glass melting. The threeyear initiative is part of the Northwest Ohio Glass Innovation Hub, established in 2024 to bring together industry and academia to strengthen the state’s economy through research and innovation. Associate professor Mohammed Abouheaf will lead the research. “By integrating AI and machine learning into the glass-melting processes, our goal is to improve performance, which, in turn, will improve energy efficiency,” says Abouheaf. The work is being supported by a $652,000 grant from the Northwest Ohio Innovation Consortium, which established the Glass Innovation Hub. The hub is funded by the Ohio Department of Development and is expected to increase state tax revenue by $25 million and produce more than 200 new graduates working in STEM fields to meet surging workforce demands. Industry partners leading the ULTRAFAST MICROSCOPY PROBES TINY METALLIC FRAMES Researchers at the DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory worked with scientists at Northwestern University to visualize tiny electron oscillations in a class of metallic nanoframes that are promising candidates for applications in light-driven catalysis and biosensing. The team used advanced ultrafast electron microscopy techniques at Argonne’s Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM) to visualize and analyze these oscillations in nanoframes of various shapes made of gold and platinum. The researchers discovered that, when excited by ultrashort optical pulses, the electron oscillation—known as localized surface plasmon resonances—shift in space and time depending on the nanoframe’s shape and size. They also showed that coupling between multiple nanoframes can influence the behavior of these oscillations, creating new opportunities for energy transfer and field enhancement. “By capturing how light interacts with nanostructures in both space and time, we’ve opened a new window into the nanoscale world,” says Northwestern scientist Koray Aydin, “Our work reveals how the shape and arrangement of metallic nanoframes can be harnessed to control energy flow, paving the way for advances in sensing, catalysis, and quantum information sciences.” At Northwestern, the team synthesized nanoframes of different shapes such as triangles and hexagons. They brought the nanoframes to the CNM and used photon-induced nearfield electron microscopy (PINEM) to probe the light-matter interactions within these nanostructures. PINEM allowed the researchers to capture the spatial and temporal dynamics of the plasmonic fields with nanometer-scale resolution. The study also employed advanced computational simulations to model the electric field distributions and other optical properties of the nanoframes. anl.gov. AI RESEARCH TARGETS GLASS INDUSTRY At Bowling Green State University (BGSU), researchers are starting on a project that uses artificial intelligence (AI) 6K Additive Inc., Burgettstown, Pa., broke ground on a 45-acre headquarters and manufacturing expansion. The project is funded by a $23.4 million Defense Production Act Title III grant and an IPO on the Australian Securities Exchange raising $31.4 million. The company also tripled its footprint for producing nickel, titanium, and stainless steels powders. 6kadditive.com. Arclin, Alpharetta, Ga., acquired DuPont’s Aramids business, including the Kevlar and Nomex brands, for approximately $1.8 billion. Arclin’s offerings now support the aerospace, electrical infrastructure, electric vehicles, and personal protection and defense industries. arclin.com. BRIEFS A simulated electric field amplitude map of a hexagonal metallic nanoframe. Courtesy of Ibrahim Tanriover/Argonne National Laboratory. BGSU researchers are leading AI research alongside industry partners as part of a state-funded initiative to ensure Ohio remains a global leader in glass technology. Courtesy of BGSU.

ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | MAY 2026 7 project alongside BGSU and the University of Toledo include several global organizations headquartered regionally that are leaders in glassmaking, building materials, and solar panels. The new endeavor’s most ambitious undertaking is the simultaneous optimization of competing goals. Abouheaf and his team plan to develop a data-driven, multi-objective optimization tool to balance energy efficiency, nitrous oxide emissions, control input constraints, and boundary-condition robustness. bgsu.edu. MATERIALS THAT DEVELOP DIRECTION Scientists at the University of Vienna discovered an unusual phenomenon: Polymer chains with segments that fluctuate at different intensities can spontaneously develop directional, persistent motion when densely packed, even though nothing in the system points them in any certain direction. Driven by fundamental physical constraints, the researchers believe this “entropic tug of war” could help explain how DNA organizes and moves inside living cells and may even lead to new materials. “Think of a chain threaded through a dense forest of trees, which represent obstacles posed by the other chains in the system. One end of the chain is being shaken much more vigorously than the other,” explains researcher Jan Smrek. “You might expect it to just wiggle randomly in place. But we found that because the chain has to find its way by going in between the trees, the difference in shaking intensity creates an imbalance that actually propels the entire chain forward through the forest.” The team used computer simulations and analytical theory to show that this directed motion arises purely from topological constraints. When polymer chains are entangled and cannot pass through each other, segments with stronger fluctuations generate larger entropic forces. This creates an imbalance that pushes the entire chain forward along its own contour, with the stronger fluctuating part acting as the head and moving through the obstacles. “This work bridges materials science and biology,” says Smrek. “We’re showing that the same physics that governs synthetic polymers can explain behaviors in living systems. And it suggests we could design new materials that spontaneously develop directed transport properties.” www.univie.ac.at. Depiction of polymer chains that appear to “crawl” like a worm. The tip of the orange segment (stronger fluctuations than acting on the gray segment) has three options to move forward (dashed arrows). Courtesy of Jan Smrek.

8 ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | MAY 2026 to high temperatures by adjusting its purity. “In space, micro-meteorites fly around and crash into things,” says Schuh. “If we want to keep them from destroying a satellite, for example, we might consider choosing a different purity metal than we would have otherwise. We could design reactive systems that sense when micro- meteorites are nearby and increase heat to make the satellite’s shell stronger. At these extreme conditions, purity could become a design parameter.” northwestern.edu. DESIGNING METAL FATIGUE RESISTANCE Scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign demonstrated that fatigue resistance can be enhanced by controlling how metal plasticity localizes at small scales. This represents a new design strategy for engineering metallic alloys that are resistant to fatigue by leveraging unique deformation processes at the atomic scale. “Because this localization emerges from complex microstructural and deformation process interactions, it is difficult to predict where and how it will occur, making it challenging to account for during the engineering design stage,” says researcher JeanCharles Stinville. TESTING | CHARACTERIZATION MAKING METAL PURITY A DESIGN PARAMETER After bombarding both pure and alloyed metals with microscopic particles at ultra-high speeds across a range of temperatures, researchers at Northwestern University discovered that heat strengthens pure metals under extreme strain rates while alloys continue to soften. This surprising finding may enable engineers to tailor materials for extreme environments like hypersonic flight, space impacts, and advanced manufacturing. “One of the most basic tenets in metallurgy is that if you heat a metal, it becomes softer,” explains Northwestern’s Christopher Schuh, FASM, dean of the McCormick School of Engineering. “But we found that if you heat a pure metal and attempt to deform it at extremely high speeds, it flips. The opposite happens and the metal strengthens, resisting the deformation.” The team used a specialized technique that blasts hard, microscopic particles at speeds up to hundreds of meters per second. As a result, the tiny particles ballistically impact the metal, stretching it to 100 million percent of its original length in one second. The scientists performed the experiment with metal samples ranging from high purity to slightly alloyed versions of nickel, titanium, gold, and copper and from temperatures ranging from room temperature to 155°C. As temperatures increased, pure metals became stronger and harder. However, alloyed metals behaved typically, becoming softer when heated. The findings have implications for technologies that operate under intense heat and extreme strain rates. By heating a pure metal, it could be- come more resistant to sandblasting, ballistics, and hypersonic speeds. Engineers also could tune a metal’s response New findings challenge traditional assumptions of how metals behave when heated. Rolls-Royce completed specialized testing for the F130 engine in the U.S. Air Force B-52J Stratofortress. At the U.S. Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Complex, Tullahoma, Tenn., Rolls-Royce conducted altitude tests to demonstrate performance for long-duration, high-altitude missions and operability testing with distortion screens to replicate turbulent airflow and confirm engine stability under stress. rolls-royce.com. BRIEF Novel identified mechanisms of dynamic plastic delocalization in metal.

ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | MAY 2026 9 The team examined whether fatigue resistance can be drastically improved by designing alloys in which plastic deformation is engineered to remain small and uniformly distributed rather than intense and highly localized. Researchers used high-throughput automated high-resolution digital image correlation, a technique developed in Stinville’s laboratory, to map plastic deformation with extreme spatial resolution across large material regions. Unlike conventional methods, which must trade field of view for resolution, this approach captures fine-scale deformation over wide areas. These measurements reveal a delocalized mode of plastic deformation involving processes called dynamic plastic delocalization. Mechanical testing showed it to be directly associated with greatly enhanced fatigue resistance. Computational modeling was then used to clarify the roles of chemistry and ordering on the observed delocalized plasticity in the tested materials. illinois.edu. STUDYING STAINLESS STEEL FINISHING Researchers at Tohoku Uni- versity, Japan, are studying the process of surface grinding that is used to achieve the sleek appearance of stainless steel— and how this finishing process reduces corrosion resistance in the material. They found that grinding leaves fine scratches on the surface, which can cut into tiny manganese sulfide particles embedded within the steel. Where these scratches intersect with manganese sulfide particles, the surface becomes more vulnerable to damage. Using 304 stainless steel, the team examined corrosion behavior in saltwater conditions. Grinding alone did not trigger corrosion. Instead, pitting occurred only in regions containing manganese sulfide particles. These results indicate that surface scratches by themselves are insufficient SEM image and elemental maps of MnS inclusions on a stainless-steel surface subjected to rough grinding. Courtesy of Siqi Wang, Masashi Nishimoto, and Izumi Muto. to weaken corrosion resistance and that MnS inclusions play a key role in the process. Researchers then analyzed how grinding alters both the protective surface layer and the MnS inclusions. The chemical composition of the protective layer remained largely unchanged. But the MnS inclusions suffered significant damage. The scientists hope that their insights will lead to improved guidance for grinding and surface-treatment methods that minimize risk. www.tohoku.ac.jp. with our ENHANCED PRODUCT SELECTOR (201) 343-8983 · main@masterbond.com · www.masterbond.com  Filter by specific chemistry and specifications  Verify compliance with industrial certifications  Pinpoint the ideal material for your application Filters Product Applications Product Type Certifications Electrical Conductivity Thermal Conductivity Optical Clarity Cryogenically Serviceable Product Selector Certifications Applications EP4EN-80 One component flowable epoxy cures at 80°C · Bonding · Encapsulation · Potting UV17Med UV curable adhesive offers excellent adhesion to TPUs MasterSil 323 Two component addition cured silicone system · NASA Low Outgassing · RoHS Compliant · Bonding · Sealing · Coating · Gap Filling · ISO 10993-5 for Cytotoxicity · RoHS Compliant · Bonding · Sealing · Encapsulation · Coating · Gap Filling · Potting · RoHS Compliant Visit www.masterbond.com/product-selector

ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | MAY 2026 10 MACHINE LEARNING | AI The Venado supercomputer at Los Alamos National Laboratory is now running OpenAI’s latest o3 reasoning model to accelerate national security research. Venado, which uses NVIDIA GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips, serves as a shared resource for researchers at the National Nuclear Security Administration laboratories. lanl.gov. BRIEF AI EXAMINES METAL 3D-PRINTED PARTS Scientists at the Korea Institute of Materials Science in collaboration with colleagues at the Max Planck Institute in Germany developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-based model capable of assessing the characteristics of internal defects during process design for metal additive manufacturing (AM). Conventional quality evaluation primarily focuses on simple indicators such as porosity. Yet the impact on mechanical performance varies sig- nificantly depending on the shape, size, location, and distribution of defects. To address these challenges, the team developed an explainable AI model capable of systematically analyzing and predicting the relationships among metal AM process conditions, defect morphology, and mechanical performance. This approach enables prediction of potential internal defects and their impact on performance. The core feature of the new AI model is its ability to analyze and predict internal defects generated during the laser powder bed fusion process of metal AM based on morphological characteristics rather than simply the number or fraction of defects. By using microstructural images, the model automatically analyzes pore size, non- circularity, and spatial distribution, and directly correlates these factors with mechanical properties, enabling a quantitative explanation of how defects influence actual performance. The team analyzed process conditions, powder characteristics, defect images, and mechanical property data across various metal AM materials, including steel, aluminum alloys, and titanium alloys, and used these datasets to train the AI model. Through this approach, they established an integrated framework capable of assessing how process variables and powder characteristics influence defect formation, and how this subsequently affects mechanical performance. www.kims.re.kr. TOOLKIT TURNS MICROSCOPY IMAGES INTO REAL DATA Researchers from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology created an AI-enabled toolkit that automatically extracts and quantifies multiple microstructural features from microscopy images. Designed to meet the growing need for data-driven, autonomous workflows in materials science, the tool provides a systematic Graphical abstract. Courtesy of Acta Mater., 2026, doi.org/ 10.1016/j.actamat.2025.121751. method for converting complex image information into quantitative data. While modern microscopy can capture highly detailed images, the information they contain is often difficult to analyze consistently and at scale. Existing approaches typically focus on identifying simple features or classifying images. This limitation hinders the ability to fully understand structure-property re- lationships and slows down the design and optimization of new materials. To bridge this gap, the team designed GrainBot, which provides an integrated solution for segmentation, feature measurement, and correlation analysis. Using a convolutional neural network for precise grain segmentation, the toolkit is complemented by custom algorithms that can measure grain surface area, grain-boundary groove geometry, and surface concavity or convexity volumes. By converting each microscopy image into a rich set of numerical descriptors, GrainBot empowers researchers to build large-scale, standardized microstructure databases rather than relying on qualitative observations alone. www.hkust.edu.hk. Diagram illustrates the workflow of GrainBot, providing an integrated solution for segmentation, feature measurement, and correlation analysis.

ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | MAY 2026 1 1 PROCESS TECHNOLOGY PEANUT SHELLS FUEL GRAPHENE PRODUCTION Researchers at UNSW Sydney, Australia, discovered a new way to make graphene using only discarded peanut shells. They say the develop- ment could lead to cheaper, more sustainable electronics and energy storage devices by transforming this agricultural waste into specialized parts for phones and computers. The team’s first breakthrough was recognizing that peanut shells are packed Technology (KAIST) are bringing the idea of traditional sandpaper into the realm of nanotechnology by creating a new technique capable of uniformly processing semiconductor surfaces down to the atomic level. This is vital because the performance and stability of smartphones and artificial intelligence services depend on how precisely semiconductor surfaces are polished. The new method demonstrates the potential to significantly improve surface quality in advanced semiconductor processes such as high-bandwidth memory. The research team developed a “nano sandpaper” that uses carbon nanotubes as abrasive materials, enabling more precise surface finishing than existing semi-conductor manufacturing processes such as chemical mechanical polishing. By vertically aligning carbon nanotubes, setting them inside polyurethane, and partially exposing them on the surface, they implemented the new sandpaper. The material developed in this study achieves an abrasive density approximately 500,000 times higher than that of the finest commercially available sandpaper. While traditional sandpaper typically ranges from 40 to 3000 grit, the nano sandpaper exceeds 1,000,000,000 grit. Through this extremely dense structure, surfaces could be processed with precision down to several nanometers—the thickness of only a few atoms. www.kaist.ac.kr. with lignin, a naturally occurring plant polymer that contains significant carbon. This gave them the idea to grind up the shells and use a series of heat treatments to unlock their potential for graphene production. The first step involves heating the shells to around 500°C for five minutes to remove impurities and convert them into a carbon-rich char material. The second step subjects the char to what is known as flash joule heating, in which a flash of electricity rapidly raises the temperature of the material to around 3000°C for just a few milliseconds. This enormous heat energy instantaneously rearranges the carbon atoms into single layers of graphene. Current graphene production methods traditionally include carbon black at this stage, an industrial chemical based on fossil fuels. The new method uses only the peanut-shell-derived char, making it more environmentally friendly. Overall, the new process can be completed in around 10 minutes, requiring substantially lower energy than commercial methods in use today. The team’s calculations indicate that a kilogram of graphene can be produced using their new technique at a cost of just $1.30 in energy. www.unsw.edu.au. NANO SANDPAPER FOR SEMICONDUCTOR SURFACES Scientists at the Korea Advanced Insti- tute of Science and Norman Noble, Highland Heights, Ohio, will open a rapid prototype facility in Irvine, Calif. The new location will expand the company’s ability to support early-stage development and rapid prototyping while strengthening collaboration with medical device OEMs across the Western U.S. nnoble.com. BRIEF Small quantities of high-quality graphene have been produced via a new process that uses waste peanut shells. Courtesy of Guan Yeoh/UNSW. Photograph (left) of VACNT nano sandpaper (scale bar: 1 cm) and scanning electron microscopy image of the surface (right) at microscale (scale bar: 100 µm). Courtesy of KAIST.

ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | MAY 2026 EMERGING TECHNOLOGY 12 NASA FOCUSES ON MOON BASE, NUCLEAR PROPULSION Administrators and scientists at NASA recently announced several new and ambitious goals. The initiatives build on recent updates to the Artemis program, including standardizing the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket configuration, adding an additional mission in 2027, and undertaking at least one surface landing every year going forward. Artemis III, scheduled for 2027, will focus on testing integrated systems and operational capabilities in Earth orbit ahead of the Artemis IV lunar landing. Looking beyond Artemis V, NASA announced on March 24 it will begin to incorporate more commercially acquired and reusable hardware to support more frequent and affordable crewed missions to the lunar surface, initially targeting landings every six months. To achieve a lasting human presence on the moon, NASA also announced a phased approach to building a lunar base. As part of this strategy, the agency intends to pause the Gateway program in its current form and instead focus on infrastructure that enables sustained lunar surface operations. Despite challenges with some existing hardware, NASA will repurpose certain equipment and coordinate with international partners to achieve these objectives. In addition to these moon-focused missions, the agency announced a major advancement in bringing nuclear power and propulsion from the lab to space. NASA will launch Space Reactor-1 Freedom— the first nuclear-powered interplanetary spacecraft—to Mars before the end of 2028, to demonstrate advanced nuclear electric propulsion in deep space. nasa. gov/ignition. SOLAR BATTERY STORES SUNLIGHT, RELEASES HYDROGEN Researchers at Friedrich Schiller University Jena and Ulm University, both in Germany, developed a material that can store energy from sunlight for several days and then release it in the form of hydrogen by simply pressing a button. “You can think of it as a combination of a solar cell and a battery at the molecular level,” explains Ulm professor Sven Rau. A water-soluble, redox-active copolymer is used as a material for temporary energy or electron storage. These copolymers form a stable framework and have been equipped with functional units that have certain chemical-physical properties, in this case a reinforced redox activity. The new system achieves a charging efficiency of over 80% and maintains this state for several days. By adding an acid and a hydrogen evolution catalyst, the electrons stored in the polymer are combined with protons and this process produces hydrogen on demand. The efficiency is astonishingly high at 72%, say researchers. Another advantage is that this process can take place in the dark and does not require sunshine. If the solution is subsequently neutralized, the system can be exposed to light again and recharged. “The project is also of scientific significance because it combines very different concepts from the field of chemistry that otherwise have few points of contact, namely macromolecular polymer chemistry and photocatalysis,” says Rau. www.uni-ulm.de. Undergraduate students at Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill., will be able to major in artificial intelligence (AI) starting this fall. The new major will include fundamentals such as machine learning and cognitive modeling as well as humanrobot interaction and how AI intersects with law and society, among other skills and topics. northwestern.edu. BRIEF Artist’s concept of Phase 3 of NASA’s Moon Base. Courtesy of NASA. Catalyst solutions with luminescent ruthenium dye, which are irradiated with visible light in the reactor. Courtesy of Elvira Eberhardt/Ulm University.

13 ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | MAY 2026 EMERGING TECHNOLOGY BETTER BATTERIES OUT OF RUST Materials scientists at Saarland University, Germany, are working to develop environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional lithium-ion batteries that contain substances such as nickel and cobalt. By introducing finely dispersed iron oxide into tiny hollow carbon spheres developed at the University of Salzburg, the Saarland team achieved some promising results—higher storage capacities using materials that are both readily available and less environmentally damaging. Known as carbon spherogels, these new materials are nanometer-sized units around 250 nm in diameter that offer a large surface area and high electrochemical capacity. “The challenge for us is to use chemical synthesis to fill the cavity inside these spheres with suitable metal oxides,” says researcher Stefanie Arnold. After a set of initial experiments with titanium dioxide, the team decided to try iron oxide. Using a scalable synthesis method based on iron lactate, the Salzburg team was able to integrate different quantities of iron into the carbon framework of the hollow spheres, producing robust porous networks with evenly distributed iron nanoparticles. Yet more research is needed before this mechanism can be used on an industrial scale. The activation process needs to be faster so that batteries can reach their maximum storage capacity sooner. In addition, the iron oxide-filled carbon spherogels are currently used as the battery anode but a suitable cathode still needs to be developed to obtain a complete cell. The new material will also be tested for sodium-ion batteries. www.uni-saarland.de. MAGNESIUM-AIR BATTERY USES METAL-FREE CATHODE Researchers at the University of Tsukuba, Japan, are making improvements to magnesium-air (Mg-O2) rechargeable batteries, which consist of a carbon-based cathode, a magnesium-metal anode, and a magnesium chloride-containing electrolyte. This battery design uses atmospheric oxygen as the active material at the cathode and enables construction of highcapacity batteries at low cost. EMEREGNEINRG YTETCRHENDOSLOGY Although the theoretical performance of magnesium-air batteries is almost identical to that of lithium-air batteries, the presence of chloride ions can induce internal chlorination, leading to reduced performance. The research team is conducting a new study that introduces a nitrogendoped porous graphene cathode with strong resistance to chloride attack. They fabricated an all-solid-state Mg-O2 battery using commercially available magnesium metal as the anode and a polymer gel infused with magnesium chloride as the solid electrolyte. The resulting battery exhibited performance better than that of systems employing platinum-based cathodes. This was attributed to the excellent chloride resistance, high catalytic activity, and porous architecture of the graphene cathode, which efficiently accommodates discharge products and enhances mass transport. The team believes the new design could expand applications for rechargeable batteries, mitigate material supply risks, and serve as an alternative to lithium-based rechargeable battery systems. www.tsukuba.ac.jp. Microstructures of nanoporous graphene samples. Courtesy of Chem. Eng. J., 2026, doi.org/10.1016/ j.cej.2026.174076. Materials scientist Stefanie Arnold aims to find environmentally friendly alternatives for energy storage with the help of hollow carbon spheres. Courtesy of Oliver Dietze/Universität des Saarlandes. BRIEF The DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tenn., and Kairos Power, Alameda, Calif., entered a $27 million strategic partnership to accelerate the technology needed to deploy a new generation of advanced nuclear reactors. ORNL will provide expertise and access to specialized facilities to evaluate various aspects of Kairos’ fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor design. ornl.gov.

Expand your knowledge and take advantage of your ASM International member-only benefits: ✓ Award-winning AM&P magazine subscription ✓ Online access to 20 technical journals, including two of the most respected in the materials field ✓ Discounts on event registration, continued accredited learning opportunities, and online reference publications ✓ Enjoy exclusive access to: »ASM Desk Editions Online »AM&P Technical Articles »Online Member Communities and Directories »ASM Webinars »Career Center job listings »Field-focused technical communities Learn more about your membership benefits by visiting asminternational.org/membership. Are You Maximizing Your ASM Membership?

ALLOY 718: PART I QUINTESSENTIAL AERO-ENGINE SUPERALLOY John deBarbadillo, FASM* Barboursville, West Virginia This first installment in a three-part series introduces the initial discovery and early impact of alloy 718 on aerospace engines. The SR-71 Blackbird spy plane at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Annex. Courtesy of Dreamstime.com. *Member of ASM International AEROSPACE MATERIALS 15

ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | MAY 2026 16 The highest volume nickel-base superalloy used in aircraft engines is Inconel alloy 718 UNS N07718, yet its origin was not in the aerospace sector. In the mid-1950s, designs were progressing for an advanced coal-fired power plant using ultra-supercritical steam technology[1]. Austenitic stainless steels such as AISI 316 were leading candidates for boiler tubing. INSPIRATION AND SYNERGY Herbert Eiselstein, FASM, a metallurgist at the Huntington Alloys Division of the International Nickel Co. (Inco) in Huntington, West Virginia, thought that a nickel-base alloy, solid solution strengthened by molybdenum, tungsten or niobium, would provide a stronger and weldable tubing alloy that would also be more resistant to sigma phase formation than stainless steel[2]. Using a series of designed experiments, he was surprised to find that compositions within a limited range of nickel, chromium, iron, aluminum, and titanium, 4-6% niobium induced an intense age hardening reaction by a precipitate that was stable to about 1200°F (649°C). This aging reaction was different from the Al/Ti based gamma prime phase that strengthened legacy superalloys in that it was not only more intense, but also sluggish in its development. Huntington Alloys and its sister company Wiggin Alloys in the U.K. had pioneered the development of gamma prime strengthened alloys beginning with Nimonic alloy 80 in 1941 and was familiar with the difficulty of forming and welding them[3]. This new age hardening system appeared to offer a path to a more versatile alloy for fabricated aircraft engine structures. Eiselstein shared his information with General Electric Aviation (he was a 1941 graduate of University of Cincinnati, joining Inco in 1946 after service in the Navy) and many others in the aerospace industry. With their encouragement, Eiselstein redirected his development work with new goals stated in the patent appli- cation that was filed in 1958: “an alloy with a yield strength of at least 100 ksi at room temperature and 100hour rupture strength of at least 90 ksi at 1200°F”[4]. Over the succeeding four years until the patent issued, Eiselstein refined the composition through additional designed experiments and provided material for evaluation to aircraft and rocket engine manufacturers[5,6]. Inco decided to freely license the patent in the United States, thereby enabling companies such as Latrobe Steel, Special Metals, Carpenter, and Allvac to develop the capability to produce and enhance the alloy. The competition between the producers significantly accelerated acceptance through the development of modern melting, remelting, and forging tech- HERBERT LEWIS EISELSTEIN, FASM (1919-2011) An ASM member for 74 years, Herbert Eiselstein, FASM, received the ASM William Hunt Eisenman award in 2005 for his unique ability to apply the principles of physical metallurgy to the solution of real engineering problems. His inventive genius was responsible for many nickel-base superalloys that make commercial air safer and more economical. In 1988, the superalloy industry recognized his contributions by dedicating the Sixth International Symposium on Superalloys and the 1989 Symposium on Inconel 718 to Herbert L. Eiselstein for his contributions involving alloy design, development, and processing. Patents that bear his name include those for Inconels 718, 625, 903, 617, 601, 706, and 618; Monel 502; and Incoloy 840 and 802. Inconel 718 continues to be one of the main components of the military and commercial aircraft engines 65 years after it was invented by Herb Eiselstein. Eiselstein TABLE 1 — NOMINAL COMPOSITION OF ALLOYS, WT% Alloy/Element Ni Cr Co Fe Mo Al Ti Nb C 718 52.5 19 NA 18.5 3 0.5 0.9 5.1 0.03 A286 26 15 NA 54 1.3 0.2 2 NA 0.05 80A 76 19.5 NA NA NA 1.4 2.4 NA 0.06 René 41 55 18 11 NA 10 1.5 3.1 NA 0.09 Waspaloy 58 19.5 13.5 NA 4.3 1.3 3 NA 0.08 Note: Table refers only to alloys mentioned in this article. NA represents elements that are not specified or intentionally added but may be present in residual quantities. Alloy 718 has many special chemistry grades within the broad UNS N07718 definition. First 50-lb 718 casting for compressor rear frame of J93 engine[11].

www.asminternational.org

Made with FlippingBook

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTYyMzk3NQ==