14 23 28 P. 32 Damage Assessment of Ancient Silver Plates Alloy 718 Part II: Critical Applications Rotating Beam Fatigue Testing SILICONE COATING PROTECTS CULTURAL HERITAGE SITE TESTING/CHARACTERIZATION JULY 2026 | VOL 184 | NO 4
14 23 28 P. 32 Damage Assessment of Ancient Silver Plates Alloy 718 Part II: Critical Applications Rotating Beam Fatigue Testing SILICONE COATING PROTECTS CULTURAL HERITAGE SITE TESTING/CHARACTERIZATION JULY 2026 | VOL 184 | NO 4
Showcase your thought leadership and innovations at one of ASMʼs 2026 conferences and expositions, which offer unparalleled access to highly engaged audiences of industry leaders and decision-makers. Learn more about each event and related exhibit and sponsorship opportunities at asminternational.org/events 2026 EVENTS THERMAL SPRAY OF SUSPENSIONS & SOLUTIONS SYMPOSIUM + EBCS (TS4E) SEPTEMBER 16 – 18, 2026 | PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC The ASM Thermal Spray Society will again offer a symposium focused on suspension and solution thermal spray technology. This symposium offers an opportunity for scientists and engineers interested in the emerging S&STS technologies to address both research challenges and development of industrial applications. INTERNATIONAL MATERIALS, APPLICATIONS, AND TECHNOLOGIES (IMAT) SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 1, 2026 | QUEBEC CITY, CANADA IMAT, ASM’s annual event, is the only targeted event on advanced materials, applications, and technologies in key growth markets that will have a focus on economic trends and business forecasts. The event will include a diverse group of materials experts, including the ASM Programming Committees, AeroMat Committee, and all six of ASM’s Affiliate Societies, who are heavily involved in building the technical symposiums, which will have a strong focus on real-world technologies that can be put to use today. RESIDUAL STRESS TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE SEPTEMBER 29 – 30, 2026 | QUEBEC CITY, CANADA Discover the forefront of residual stress research and its impact on material behavior at this enriching event. Engage with experts and practitioners across diverse fields through symposium topics, networking opportunities, and technical programming. INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM FOR TESTING AND FAILURE ANALYSIS (ISTFA) OCTOBER 4 – 8, 2026 | SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS ISTFA is the only North American event devoted to the semiconductor, electronic sample preparation, and imaging markets. ISTFA offers the best venue for failure analysts and the FA community for sharing challenges and acquiring the technical knowledge and resources needed to take them on. FAS SUMMIT ON FAILURE ANALYSIS & PREVENTION: FATIGUE AND FRACTURE FEBRUARY 2 – 4, 2027 | OCEANSIDE, CALIFORNIA INTERNATIONAL THERMAL SPRAY CONFERENCE AND EXPOSITION (ITSC) MAY 12 – 14, 2027 | ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS SHAPE MEMORY & SUPERELASTIC TECHNOLOGIES CONFERENCE AND EXPOSITION (SMST) MAY 19 – 20, 2027 | BELÉN, HEREDIA PROVINCE, COSTA RICA AEROMAT MAY 25 – 27, 2027 | PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ADVANCES IN MATERIALS, MANUFACTURING, AND REPAIR FOR POWER PLANTS (EPRI) JUNE 7 – 11, 2027 | TUCSON, ARIZONA INTERNATIONAL MATERIALS, APPLICATIONS, AND TECHNOLOGIES (IMAT) OCTOBER 4 – 7, 2027 | COLUMBUS, OHIO HEAT TREAT | OCTOBER 5 – 7, 2027 | COLUMBUS, OHIO NORTH AMERICAN COLD SPRAY CONFERENCE (NACSC) OCTOBER 5 – 6, 2027 | COLUMBUS, OHIO INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM FOR TESTING AND FAILURE ANALYSIS (ISTFA) OCTOBER 31 – NOVEMBER 4, 2027 | PHOENIX, ARIZONA SHAPE MEMORY & SUPERELASTIC TECHNOLOGIES CONFERENCE AND EXPOSITION (SMST) MAY 1 – 5, 2028 | PORTOROŽ, SLOVENIA AEROMAT MAY 15 – 18, 2028 | NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA INTERNATIONAL THERMAL SPRAY CONFERENCE AND EXPOSITION (ITSC) MAY 15 – 18, 2028 | NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA INTERNATIONAL MATERIALS, APPLICATIONS, AND TECHNOLOGIES (IMAT) SEPTEMBER 11 – 14, 2028 | NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA 2027-28 EVENTS Save the dates for ASMʼs 2027-28 conferences and expositions! More information and dates to come.
Explore the ASM Digital Library at asminternational.org/DL-all-access A comprehensive and authoritative guide to the structure, properties, processing, performance, and evaluation of metals and nonmetallic engineering materials. ASM HANDBOOKS Offer a wealth of materials science and engineering knowledge from experts in the field. Discover practical guides and reference resources on a wide variety of subjects created to fill the needs of the novice and the experienced professional. ASM TECHNICAL BOOKS ALLOY DIGEST™ Provides easy-to-compare data for industrially important metals and alloys. Each datasheet provides alloy compositions, properties, performance characteristics, applications, and processing details. Cover the latest trends and developments in technologies related to the properties, processing, performance, and evaluation of engineering materials. CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS Cover leading-edge developments in materials selection, processing, applications, and characterization, as well as emerging technologies of interest to engineers and scientists. TECHNICAL ARTICLES The ASM Digital Library offers a robust collection of digital resources designed to accelerate your organization’s research, development, and engineering capabilities. ASM FAILURE ANALYSIS DATABASE Over 1,200 real-world case histories as documented by experienced failure analysts, each describing the component, how the failure was investigated, and remedial solutions. SAVE 50% WITH DIGITAL LIBRARY ALL-ACCESS!
23 ALLOY 718: PART II A VERSATILE ALLOY FOR CRITICAL APPLICATIONS John deBarbadillo This second installment in a three-part series explores how the uses for 718 expanded beyond the aero-engine industry. DAMAGE ASSESSMENT OF ANCIENT SILVER DISHES AND PLATES Russell Wanhill and Omid Oudbashi Recovered ceremonial plates from the late Roman and early Byzantine periods are noninvasively examined to investigate damage that occurred both prior to their burial in the 5th-6th centuries and as a result of it. 14 ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JULY 2026 2 Dr. Katsuhiko Sano, Hokkaido University, uses a spray bottle containing an alkoxysilane-based coating to treat a rock surface in Cappadocia, Turkey. Courtesy of D&D K.K. On the Cover: 28 TECHNICAL SPOTLIGHT WHY ROTATING BEAM FATIGUE TESTING IS RESHAPING THE INDUSTRY A fundamental shi in how materials are qualified has led to the increased application of rotating beam fatigue testing as a streamlined alternative to axial testing. WHY HAS THIS IRON BRIDGE SURVIVED? Patricia S. Carrizo A study of a bridge in Argentina shows that preservation strategies based on material compatibility, controlled repair procedures, and a deep understanding of historical metallurgy can significantly extend the service life of such structures. 18
4 Editorial 5 Research Tracks 10 Machine Learning 6 Metals/Polymers/Ceramics 8 Testing/Characterization 11 Process Technology 12 Emerging Technology 13 Surface Engineering 59 Editorial Preview 59 Special Advertising Section 59 Advertisers Index 60 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.4, JULY 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. FEATURES JULY 2026 | VOL 184 | NO 4 ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JULY 2026 3 32 39 45 32 HOW SILICONE-BASED INORGANIC COATINGS HELP PROTECT CULTURAL HERITAGE AND HISTORICAL MONUMENTS Hideyuki Kanematsu, Akiko Ogawa, Akira Suzuki, and Takayoshi Nakano A novel coating helps create a protective film with ceramic-like stability while preserving the original appearance of historical structures. 35 HTPro HOW AI AND ROBOTICS ARE CHANGING HEAT TREATMENT Thomas Wingens and Michael V. Glazoff “Automation on purpose” uses robotics and artificial intelligence to build metallurgical knowledge into systems that are repeatable, auditable, and reliable. 39 iTSSe SUCCESSFUL DIMENSIONAL RESTORATION BY COLD SPRAY Julio Villafuerte, Alejandro Vargas-Uscategui, Hans Lohr, and Peter King A novel scan-to-repair approach reduces setup time, improves consistency, and increases flexibility for robotic cold spray restoration. See also JTST Highlights, p 42. 43 IMAT/RSTC 2026 PROGRAM PREVIEW 45 ASM NEWS The latest news about ASM members, chapters, events, awards, conferences, affiliates, and other Society activities. 35
4 ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JULY 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, Bechtel Corporation 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. AN EVOLVING TOOLKIT In May, I attended a mini-symposium, Advanced Materials and Component Characterization Methods, organized by the National Academy of Engineering’s (NAE) Section 9—Materials Engineering. A trio of speakers shared some novel tools for examining a material’s structure and properties. Erik Lauridsen from Xnovo Technology, Denmark, explained how multimodal imaging can revolutionize a lab when nondestructive 3D crystallographic imaging and component-scale fiber mapping capabilities are added to traditional methods. The combination of approaches transforms the results. The tools and techniques used in materials science are ever evolving. And this issue of AM&P touches on how various segments of the industry have incorporated new tools. Three articles in this issue are from the archaeometallurgy sector. They discuss the preservation and analysis of silver plates, an iron bridge, and historical monuments. Lab analysis of such artifacts has adapted over the years to utilize new nondestructive techniques. Yet, much of an archaeometallurgist’s work still involves hands-on, in-the-field examination at a historic site. It’s the combination of human interaction with artifacts plus sophisticated imaging techniques that allows archaeometallurgy to deliver important cultural findings. Addressing another materials sector—alloy development—in this issue is Part II of our Alloy 718 article series. The release of Part I elicited some exciting discussion on LinkedIn about the article and Herbert Eiselstein, the alloy’s creator. One commenter shared that it is amazing to think about all the manual calculations and iterations Eiselstein went through in developing 718— before the invention of Thermo-Calc! So true. Current alloy designers have the benefit of integrated computational materials engineering tools that greatly reduce the time to market. Now AI is on the scene as another tool that brings remarkable efficiency to materials-related industries. As one example, in this issue we include, “The Autonomous Thermal Plant: How AI and Robotics are Changing Heat Treatment.” The authors posit that heat treating is changing from a craft-based practice to a data-driven field. They also explain their rationale behind the delineation of tasks that are automated versus performed by employees. AI-programmed robots handle repetitive, dangerous tasks, freeing up operators to make key decisions on qualification, approval, and system improvements. This approach is seconded by Lisa Su, CEO of AMD, who spoke to a recent graduating class of MIT, her alma mater: “For everything that AI can do, AI can’t decide which problems are worth solving. It can’t take responsibility for the outcomes. These are actually our responsibilities and they matter now more than ever.” She added, “Technology itself does not decide what the future looks like—the best people do.” Our materials science toolkit will keep evolving. Humans will continue to create these tools and determine when to employ them. It is this multimodal approach—humans plus technology—that transforms our materials world. joanne.miller@asminternational.org Lisa Su.
ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JULY 2026 5 RESEARCH TRACKS ULTRAFAST MICROSCOPY FOR OPTICAL PROCESSES Researchers at Heidelberg University, the Polytechnic University of Milan, and the Institute for Photonics and Nanotechnologies in Milan, developed an extremely fast microscopy method to research the interaction of light and matter—enabling the study of optical processes on very short timescales. At the center of the research is a pumpprobe microscope, which is used to conduct excitation and detection experiments. In this process, the material under investigation is first excited by a short light pulse, while a second pulse records the time-dependent response. By comparing measurements taken with the excitation on and off, these processes can be accurately reconstructed. “Combining holographic imaging with ultrafast spectroscopy allows us to spatially resolve electronic and magnetic dynamics and track them on timescales ranging from femtoseconds to picoseconds,” says researcher Julia Anthea Gessner of Heidelberg. The new method makes it possible to simultaneously image ultrafast electromagnetic phenomena across large fields of view. Unlike other microscopy techniques, this enables the imaging of areas on the micrometer scale and generating time-resolved films of the charge and spin dynamics of electrons. In addition, light- induced changes in the optical properties of materials can be made visible in this way. This high-resolution ultrafast imaging technique is primarily intended for energy materials used in solar cells, LEDs, spin-LEDs, and next-generation electronic components. www.uni-heidelberg.de. NEW NANOPARTICLE SUPERLATTICE Researchers from Brown University and the University of Michigan (U-M) used finely tuned nanoscale building blocks to stabilize a fleeting structural phase of matter that had been predicted theoretically but never stabilized in a physical material. The new nanoparticle superlattice (SL) freezes an elusive intermediate state between two of the most common crystal metallic arrangements, face-centered cubic (fcc) and body-centered cubic (bcc). Beyond describing new details about how this transition works, the novel structure exhibits extraordinary optical properties that could be useful in quantum computing or other quantum information systems. The research also provides a new recipe for using custom-shaped nanoparticles to engineer entirely new classes of materials with tailored properties. “Materials scientists have cared about how to control the amount of fcc and bcc in their metals for a long time, but the transitions between these phases have been hard to study because they are so unstable,” says researcher Tim Moore of U-M. “Being able to observe these structures is a fundamental breakthrough in materials science, and it gives us greater control over nanomaterial engineering.” Through light illumination, these silver nano- particle SLs exhibit hallmarks of deepstrong light-matter coupling, when electrons in the silver particles vibrate with light waves in perfect unison and become quantum mechanically entangled. These types of quantum optical interactions are often observed at very low temperatures, but this new structure appears to exhibit the behavior at room temperature. The researchers say this could provide a blueprint for making new materials for use in quantum computing or sensing. brown.edu. Optical setup for performing ultrafast holographic microscopy. Courtesy of Heidelberg University/Tobias Schwerdt. Fcc superlattices from spherical Ag-NCs from simulation of various patterns. Courtesy of Science, 2026, doi.org/ 10.1126/science.ady6472. (a) (b) (c) (d)
ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JULY 2026 6 METALS | POLYMERS | CERAMICS electrolyte and electrode are usually considered harmful because they degrade battery performance over time, the researchers found that in solid-state magnesium batteries, they are essential for improving battery efficiency—if the reactions are carefully controlled. In their study, the team developed a new strategy for magnesium alloy anodes that balances these interfacial reactions. By engineering the surface and internal structure of the anode, they enabled magnesium ions to move more efficiently through the battery while improving overall stability and creating a more uniform magnesium deposition layer. The team focused on adding tin to magnesium. To identify the most effective composition, they tested several magnesium-based alloys containing different secondary phases and evaluated the electrochemical performance under battery operating conditions. Among the tested materials, the optimized magnesium-tin alloy demonstrated the best balance between interfacial stability, magnesium-ion transport, and long-term cycling performance. The optimized magnesium-tin alloy demonstrated significantly improved electrochemical performance, including more stable cycling behavior and enhanced magnesium-ion transport at the electrode-electrolyte interface. In solid-state battery tests, the Mg-Sn alloy remained stable for over 1300 hours and achieved more than 400 times longer cycling performance than pure magnesium. www.tohoku.ac.jp. IRON SUBSTITUTES NOBLE METALS IN CATALYSIS Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany, produced the first air-stable iron compound, which enables the direct use of iron(I) for catalysis. Unlike previous methods, the new process does not require strong reducing agents and the first test yielded active iron catalysts. Catalysts typically used in industry include rhodium, iridium, and palladium, which are expensive and rare. Until now, a comparably stable precursor compound that makes iron(I) directly available for catalytic applications had been lacking. As a result, scientists often had to synthesize this form of iron during the reaction process itself using additional substances. While such reductants change iron into the desired form, they can alter other components of the reaction. In preparation for the catalytic process, the team first synthesized a separate iron(I) compound: The iron was positioned between two durene molecules, which stabilize the reactive metal. This ensures sufficient stability of the sensitive iron(I) against atmospheric oxygen and moisture when used in subsequent reactions. Next, the researchers selectively replaced durene with other molecules to derive various iron(I) compounds. These were analyzed using x-ray crystallography, spectroscopic methods, and magnetic measurements. In the first catalytic test, the team demonstrated that an active iron catalyst can be generated from the new compound. The new iron(I) compound provides a foundation for further applications. kit.edu. NEW MAGNESIUM ALLOY FOR SOLID-STATE BATTERIES Scientists from Tohoku University, Japan, developed a new way to improve solid-state magnesium batteries. While interfacial reactions between the solid U. S. Steel, Pittsburgh, will invest up to $2.5 billion to modernize its Mon Valley Works operations near Pittsburgh to improve steel yields and quality, and reduce energy consumption. The steelmaker will also build a state-of-the-art hot strip mill at its Edgar Thomson plant in Braddock, Pa., and improve related Mon Valley Works facilities over the next three years. ussteel.com. BRIEF Researchers at KIT developed this molecular model of the first air-stable iron(I) compound as the source for novel catalysts. Courtesy of Oliver Townrow/KIT. Schematic illustration of the plating/stripping behavior of bare Mg (a) and Mg alloys (b). Courtesy of ACS Energy Letters, 2026, doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.6c00909. (a) (b)
ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JULY 2026 7 SURFACE GEOMETRY KEEPS GOLD FROM TARNISHING Researchers at Tulane University, New Orleans, found that atoms on certain gold surfaces naturally rearrange themselves into protective patterns that dramatically suppress reactions with oxygen and thereby avoid tarnishing. The discovery helps explain why gold jewelry and other gold objects can remain untarnished for centuries and could also lead the way toward designing more effective gold-based catalysts for industrial applications. Using computer simulations that predict how atoms and electrons behave, the team studied how oxygen molecules interact with two common gold surface structures. They found that without this atomic rearrangement, oxygen molecules could break apart and react with gold much more easily. Instead, the rearranged surfaces suppress oxygen reactions by a factor of a billion to a trillion, creating a protective atomic-scale barrier that helps gold stay shiny indefinitely. The findings offer a new explanation for one of gold’s best-known properties while also opening the door to potential advances in catalysis. Gold-palladium catalysts are used to make vinyl acetate, a chemical building block for many plastics and other materials. Researchers are also studying gold catalysts for uses such as cleaning up carbon monoxide in car exhaust and making propylene oxide, a common industrial chemical. Researchers have traditionally tried to improve gold catalysts by combining gold with other metals or using tiny gold nanoparticles on oxide surfaces. The new findings suggest surface geometry itself may provide another route to enhancing gold’s catalytic activity. tulane.edu. New research at Tulane University helps explain how gold nuggets like these maintain their glitter. Courtesy of Dreamstime.com. WHAT’S IN YOUR 2026 MARKETING MIX? ASM INTERNATIONAL’S 2026 MEDIA KIT is YOUR GATEWAY to reaching a targeted audience of materials science and engineering professionals. ASM generates measurable impact by offering unparalleled access to engaging with a unique and motivated audience through integrated, omnichannel marketing capabilities. Develop a comprehensive campaign through sponsored emails, webinars, web and mobile ad placements, in-person event sponsorships, and more to target sizable audiences of decision makers. KELLY “KJ” JOHANNS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER CONTACT KJ TODAY AT: KJ.JOHANNS@ASMINTERNATIONAL.ORG OR 440.671.3851 VIEW THE 2026 MEDIA KIT AT: WWW.ASMINTERNATIONAL.ORG/ADVERTISE-WITH-US-RESULTS/
8 ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JULY 2026 without carrying so much protective weight. gatech.edu. ATOMIC SCALE MATERIALS ANALYSIS A new x-ray diffraction (XRD) instrument was recently added to MIT.nano’s characterization toolset, enhancing researchers’ ability to analyze materials at the nanoscale. While many XRD systems are available across MIT’s campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Bruker D8 Discover Plus is ideal for measuring small areas of thin film samples using a large area detector. The new system is located within Characterization.nano’s x-ray diffraction and imaging shared experimental facility. Scientists can examine surfaces, layers, and internal structure without damaging the material and then create detailed 3D images to map composition and organization. The TESTING | CHARACTERIZATION POLYMER TESTING IN SPACE Researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), along with scientists at Georgia Tech and other institutions, are sending experimental lightweight polymers to the International Space Station (ISS) for several months of in-orbit exposure. The materials will soon launch as part of the Materials International Space Station Experiment 22 (MISSE-22), a testbed attached to the outside of the station. Mounted on the forward-facing side of the ISS to ensure exposure to highly corrosive atomic oxygen, the samples will spend several months enduring the extreme temperatures, radiation, and reactive environment of low Earth orbit. To travel on the MISSE-22, a sample must be transparent or translucent, so light can pass through it and researchers can examine how its optical properties change in orbit. The materials also must be tough enough to withstand intense atomic oxygen exposure without fragmenting and creating debris near the ISS. Instead of standard illumination, the team constructed a custom on-orbit polariscope: LEDs beneath each sample shine polarized light through the material. A small camera system then slides over the top to capture the optical changes on a set schedule over the course of several months. Using polarized light and machine learning to analyze color patterns in the images, the team can track how stress inside each sample changes over time. When the mission ends and samples return to Earth, researchers will compare those in-orbit measurements with detailed tests on the actual pieces that traveled. By testing these same samples in the lab, the team can check the accuracy of the remote measurements and refine their methods. The results could help engineers design satellites that last longer in orbit Close-up of a sample like those being sent to the ISS to study their durability in harsh space conditions. Courtesy of Sean McNeil/GTRI. New York University’s NYU Nanofabrication Cleanroom installed an Oxford Instruments PlasmaPro ASP atomic layer deposition system, becoming the first in the United States to use this technology for superconducting quantum applications. oxinst.com. Researchers from the University of Glasgow, Scotland, and University of Tsukuba, Japan, developed a lightweight superconducting chip, which they say could unlock the full potential of terahertz imaging technologies and enable more powerful and portable devices. www.gla.ac.uk. BRIEFS A researcher uses the Bruker D8 Discover Plus at Characterization.nano’s x-ray diffraction and imaging facility. Courtesy of Amanda Stoll DiCristofar/MIT.nano.
ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JULY 2026 9 collected data will support materials research for electronics, energy storage, and nanotechnology. Replacing two older systems, the new Bruker instrument brings the latest XRD technology to MIT.nano along with several major upgrades for the Characterization.nano facility. One key feature of the advanced equipment is its high-brilliance microfocus copper x-ray source, which can produce intense x-rays from a small spot size ranging from 2 mm to 200 microns. Another highlight is in-plane XRD, a technique that enables surface diffraction studies of thin films with nonuniform grain orientations. “It’s invaluable to have the flexibility to measure distinct regions of a sample with high flux and fine spatial resolution,” says research specialist Jordan Cox. mit.edu. TESTING ALLOYS IN MOLTEN LEAD Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Tennessee, are experimenting with molten lead and next-generation materials to reinvent a classic nuclear reactor design. Leadcooled fast reactors use hot liquid lead to cool the reactor while maintaining the speed of neutrons, a promising technique to achieve gains in fuel efficiency over traditional water-cooled reactors. Alumina-forming austenitic (AFA) stainless steel can withstand the high heat and corrosive environment of a lead-cooled fast reactor, making it an inexpensive candidate for component materials in these advanced reactors. To evaluate the alloy’s performance under these conditions, researchers are testing AFA samples in eight small “rabbit” capsules encased in solid lead in ORNL’s High Flux Isotope Reactor, a DOE Office of Science user facility that provides one of the world’s highest steady neutron fluxes for materials testing. There, the lead liquefies under intense gamma heating, simultaneously exposing the alloy to radiation and corrosion damage. Nick Russell holds a sample of aluminaforming austenitic steel, a material candidate for use in lead-cooled fast reactors. Courtesy of Carlos Jones, ORNL/U.S. Dept. of Energy. This synergistic effect provides useful data on how AFA alloys respond to intense conditions. “The rabbit tests are integral to verifying models and guiding how we engineer materials for lead-cooled fast reactors,” says researcher Nick Russell. “These insights build confidence and accelerate design decisions for future systems.” ornl.gov. STAY AHEAD OF YOUR PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY WITH ASM EDUCATION & TRAINING. EARN CEUs, ENJOY DISCOUNTS, NETWORK, AND LEARN FROM INDUSTRY EXPERTS. SCAN TO ENROLL TODAY Education
ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JULY 2026 10 MACHINE LEARNING | AI AI TURNS MICROSCOPY INTO MATERIALS INSIGHTS Researchers at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., developed an autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) platform called EMSeek to streamline materials research. The new tool does its work in mere minutes by identifying key features in a microscopy image, determining the crystal structure, predicting material properties, comparing results with existing scientific literature, and generating a report within a single workflow. “Electron microscopy produces incredibly rich information, but the bottleneck is often turning those images into usable scientific understanding,” explains researcher Fengqi You. “Our goal was to build an autonomous AI platform that helps bridge that gap and makes advanced materials analysis faster, more integrated, and more reproducible.” EMSeek employs an agentic archi- tecture, in which multiple AI agents handle different parts of the workflow and are coordinated by a central system. The platform plans tasks, selects tools, and verifies results, mimicking how a human researcher might approach a complex analysis. The team demonstrated that EMSeek can process a microscopy image into a structured scientific output in just two to five minutes, roughly 50 times faster than conventional expert workflows. The platform was tested across 20 different materials and five tasks typically performed by re- searchers, showing strong performance across a range of conditions. In addi- tion, each step includes checks for consistency and accuracy, helping ensure results are transparent and reproducible. cornell.edu. AI IDENTIFIES MATERIALS SCIENCE RESEARCH TOPICS In a new study, researchers from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany, and their partners have shown how new research ideas can be identified from the growing number of scientific papers now being published in all disciplines. Using artificial intelligence (AI), the team systematically analyzed materials science publications to determine potential new avenues of research. Because materials science is an interdisciplinary field with a strong impact on many technology areas, it has a correspondingly large volume of research papers. However, the findings described in these papers are only useful if relevant trends can be identified. “Our goal is to support researchers in their creative thought processes by shedding light on new avenues of research and opportunities for inter- disciplinary cooperation,” says KIT researcher Pascal Friederich. In their project, the scientists combined large language models (LLMs) with machine learning (ML) methods. The LLMs begin by identifying key terminology and scientific concepts in the journal articles. This information is used to generate a concept graph, a knowledge network in which each keyword forms a node. A second ML model connects nodes when terms are mentioned together particularly often in scientific papers. The model does this by analyzing how links between terms change over many years. When certain concepts are linked with increasing frequency, this can be an indication that a new field of research is emerging. Conversely, a decrease in the number of links can be an indication that certain topics are losing relevance. kit.edu. An AI-generated knowledge network of technical terms reveals trends in materials science research. Courtesy of KIT. Part of a one-click reference-patch framework for universal electron microscopy segmentation. Courtesy of Science Advances, 2026, doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aed0583.
ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JULY 2026 1 1 PROCESS TECHNOLOGY NEW PROCESS FOR LARGE METAL COMPONENTS Researchers at the DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tenn., developed a method that uses additive manufacturing (AM) to build custom canisters for powder metallurgical hot isostatic pressing (PM-HIP), streamlining production of large-scale metal components used in aerospace, energy, and medical applications. PM-HIP consolidates metal powder into fully dense parts such as turbine components, pressure vessels, and other large structural parts using high temperature and pressure inside a canister. Traditionally, non-equilibrium atomic diffusion and phase transformations to achieve micro- structural refinement and multiphase formation. As a result, the toughness of the material was improved by up to 30%. Unlike conventional heat treatments, the new process uniquely exploits the electron wind force in which electrons flowing through the material directly drive atomic motion. Through this mechanism, overall energy consumption was reduced by more than 50%. These findings are expected to enable an energy-efficient processing route for high-performance titanium materials used in applications such as aerospace structural components and artificial joints. The research focused on the impact force exerted by HDPEC on atomic arrangements in titanium alloys. This force induces athermal atomic diffusion, enabling formation of heterogeneous multiphase microstructures without prolonged heating. By controlling current density and pulse duration, the team investigated the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V and Ti-6Al-7Nb alloys. Under various current densities, limited diffusion of ß-phase stabilizing elements (V and Nb) was consistently promoted by athermal effects, leading to the formation of refined multiphase microstructures. www.kumamoto-u.ac.jp. producing these canisters requires multiple steps including metal forming, machining, and welding, which can introduce defects and increase costs. After printing, the canister is filled with metal powder, vacuum-sealed, and processed in a hot isostatic press. Heat and pressure compress the powder into a solid metal component with minimal internal defects. The team used AM to fabricate canisters using several types of 3D printing, including laser and wire-based methods. The canister then undergoes the standard PMHIP process to produce a fully dense metal component. PM-HIP enables the use of alloys that can be engineered for enhanced corrosion resistance. Researchers can also control the material’s internal structure, tailoring properties such as radiation resistance and stability at high temperatures that are essential for nuclear applications. ornl.gov. MILLISECOND PULSE MAKES METALS STRONGER Scientists at Kumamoto University, Japan, developed a method that significantly enhances the strength and toughness of titanium alloys using an electric current applied for only a few milliseconds. In this research, a high- density pulsed electric current (HDPEC) treatment was applied to dual-phase titanium alloys, immediately inducing Researchers at Missouri S&T, Rolla, developed a physicsbased computational model that predicts conditions inside a wind tunnel and accounts for heat transfer, pressure losses, and how air behaves under extreme conditions. mst.edu. BRIEF This metal component was formed with a PM-HIP process inside an additively manufactured canister. Courtesy of Fred List III/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy. Schematic illustration showing how the EWF (an athermal effect) induced by HDPEC drives atomic motion and triggers phase transformation much quicker than with conventional heat treatment. Courtesy of Kumamoto University.
ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JULY 2026 EMERGING TECHNOLOGY 12 FUSED SILK OFFERS 6G POTENTIAL Researchers at Imperial College London, the University of Michigan, and Tufts University discovered that silk threads can be fused into transparent, plastic-like materials that twist terahertz frequencies of light. Their work could enable components of 6G networks to be made of upcycled silk. The new materials are also lightweight and stronger than many metal alloys and traditional plastics. In ballistics tests, the new materials were nearly as puncture-resistant as the carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers often used in airplane and car bodies. In addition, the materials slowly degrade when implanted into mice, making them a promising option for temporary medical implants. The scientists are especially interested in the material’s ability to polarize terahertz frequencies of light. The 6G band, which can transmit data up to hundreds of times faster than 5G networks, extends into terahertz frequencies. The team was able to fine-tune the degree of polarization by changing the temperature and pressure at which they pressed the silk. When the fibers are heated between 257° and 419°F and 1900 and 9800 atmospheres of pressure, water evaporates from the silk, and the tangled regions fuse together to create a single sheet without degrading the neat folds inside the fibers. The team is now exploring how to scale their manufacturing process to larger and more complex shapes. umich.edu. ORIGAMI TURNS SHEETS INTO LOADBEARING SHAPES Researchers at McGill University, Canada, found a new way to fold flat sheets into smooth, curved shells that can switch from floppy and flexible to stiff and load bearing on demand. By designing a special origami pattern and threading cable-like ele- ments through it, they can control the material’s final 3D shape and how rigid it becomes. The result is a “doubly curved lens box.” They say it could advance the technology of objects such as temporary emergency tents, morphing robots, and smart fabrics. “Existing foldable structures face a trade-off: If they are smooth and nicely curved, they tend to be soft and floppy; if they are strong and stiff, they usually look faceted, jagged or uncomfortable, and their shape is hard to tune once built,” says researcher Damiano Pasini. To overcome this limitation, the team designed an origami pattern with curved creases that folds into smooth, doubly curved surfaces, such as spheres or tori, and can then be locked into a rigid, load-bearing state. By adding internal tendons whose tension can be adjusted, the same structure can be reprogrammed to be ultra soft or very stiff, without altering its shape or materials. Starting from a desired curved shape, the team used differential geometry followed by numerical optimization to compute the exact crease pattern needed so that once folded and locked, the origami shell would match the target geometry. www.mcgill.ca. Purdue University and GeChi Compound Semiconductor Co. (GCCS), Taiwan, signed a five-year memorandum of understanding to speed commercialization of silicon carbide. The agreement targets the critical thermal, power, and 6G bottlenecks constraining the next generation of high-compute infrastructure. GCCS will provide semiconductor materials and Purdue will serve as a technology hub. purdue.edu. BRIEF From left: Nick Kotov and John Kim measure how a silkderived material polarizes and absorbs light. Courtesy of Marcin Szczepanski/University of Michigan Engineering. Illustration of a tent constructed via McGill’s novel origami pattern. Courtesy of Morad Mirzajanzadeh.
ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JULY 2026 13 SURFACE ENGINEERING NEW COATING FORTIFIES LITHIUM METAL BATTERIES Researchers at Stanford University and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, both in California, developed a coating that overcomes common defects in lithium metal batteries. In lab testing, the coating significantly extended battery life. It also eliminated the combustion issue by greatly limiting the dendrites that pierce the separator between the battery’s positive and negative sides. In addition to ruining the battery, dendrites can create a short circuit within the battery’s flammable liquid. Lithium metal batteries are desirable because they can hold at least a third more power per pound as lithium-ion batteries do and are significantly lighter, as they use lithium for the positively charged end rather than graphite. The scientists tested their coating on the anode of a standard lithium metal battery, which is where dendrites typically form. The team then combined their specially coated anodes with other commercially available components to create a fully operational battery. After 160 cycles, their lithium metal cells still delivered 85% of the power that they did in their first cycle. Regular lithium metal cells deliver about 30% after that many cycles, making them practically useless even if they do not explode. The new coating keeps dendrites from forming by creating a network of molecules that deliver charged lithium ions to the electrode uniformly. It also prevents unwanted chemical reactions typical for these batteries and reduces chemical buildup on the anode, which quickly devastates the battery’s ability to deliver power. stanford.edu. COLORED FILMS ENABLE PV MODULE PATTERNS Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), Germany, developed colored films with transparent cutouts that create unique designs on photovoltaic (PV) modules. By using the special films, solar panels could be made to look like traditional roof tiles, for example. The film cutout patterns use MorphoColor technology, an ISE invention that creates a color impression without significantly impairing the PV module’s efficiency. The technology can be applied to all standard PV and solar thermal modules with the desired pattern cut into the coated films with a laser or CAD-controlled process. “Modules with ShadeCut can look like masonry or roof tiles and blend in perfectly in terms of color. It also allows for the customization of PV systems, for example with logo lettering or patterns,” says researcher Martin Heinrich. MorphoColor technology was inspired by the butterfly of the same name. The 3D photonic structures on the butterfly’s wings create an intense and angle-stable color impression through a low-loss interference effect. Following this biological model, the ISE team succeeded in applying a similar surface structure to the back of the cover glass of PV modules using a vacuum process. Depending on the microstructure, cover glasses can be produced in various colors. Lab measurements confirm that the colored PV modules with the new coating deliver approximately 95% of the power output of a comparable uncoated module. www.ise.fraunhofer.de. From le , researchers David Mackanic and Zhiao Yu stand in front of their battery tester while Yu holds a dish of already tested cells. Courtesy of Mark Golden. Foil cutting patterns can be used to imitate roof tiles without a ecting the e iciency of the PV module. Courtesy of Marco Ernst. Flexcon Global, Spencer, Mass., licensed two patented inventions to manufacture a self-healing barrier film from the DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratoryfor R&D purposes. The technologies include a self-healing barrier film and an advanced manufacturing method using a roll-to-roll coating process. ornl.gov. BRIEF
ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JULY 2026 14 DAMAGE ASSESSMENT OF ANCIENT SILVER DISHES AND PLATES ARCHAEOMETALLURGICAL STUDY Russell Wanhill, Caligula University Emmeloord, the Netherlands Omid Oudbashi,* University of Gothenburg, Sweden Recovered ceremonial plates from the late Roman and early Byzantine periods are noninvasively examined to investigate damage that occurred both prior to their burial in the 5th-6th centuries and as a result of it. *Member of ASM International
ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JULY 2026 15 In the late Roman and early Byzantine Empires, ornately decorated silver dishes and plates, usually round and some partially gilded, were made as ceremonial and prestige artifacts. These typically had silver contents of about 95 wt% or more, with copper as the main alloying metal. Many were hidden in burial hoards for safety during difficult times in the 5th-6th centuries AD. When accidentally found and excavated, usually more than a thousand years later, some were damaged by dents and buckling. However, others were deliberately damaged before burial or as a consequence of long-term burial. Figure 1 provides examples from a variety of locations. The missorium was originally 29 cm in diameter and was deliberately folded and broken into three large pieces, presumably to facilitate hiding it. The paten would have been about 25 cm in diameter before major loss of the outer ring. Other dishes and plates varied in size up to as much as 71 cm, like the largest from the Kaiseraugst Treasure. These examples were chosen to show annular cracks and losses of material from the cracks. The most probable cause is stress corrosion cracking (SCC) during many centuries in the burial environment[1-4]. Specifi- cally, the use of a chasing tool (punch) to obtain annular decorating grooves on the front surfaces of thin-walled objects (such as the dishes and plates) can result in significant residual tensile stresses at and near rear surface locations, and hence driving forces for SCC that eventually could penetrate through the thickness[1,2]. Other decorative features produced by engraving and repoussé work (the rear surface opposite of chasing) appear to have been less harmful or innocuous. This may be because the front surface annular grooves were finishing touches that were not followed by an annealing heat-treatment[2]. Ancient silversmiths would have known the need for intermediate annealing for further cold working, but not the concept of final annealing for stress relief. See the study of a high- status ancient silver object called the Enkomi cup[5]. DETAILS OF DAMAGE TO THE MISSORIUM The missorium is part of a hoard found on the Caelian Hill in Rome in the 18th century AD (exact date unknown). It is kept in the Vatican Museums, Department of Christian Antiquities. Figure 1 exhibits clear evidence of damage to the missorium; it is separated into three pieces and is missing an annular strip from the middle piece. However, there is other damage, better visible at higher magnifications. This damage is labeled and described in Fig. 2 and its caption. More details are provided in Figs. 3-5: • Figure 3: One of several partial and hardly visible repairs of cracks using a silver-painted adhesive. This figure also shows the locally undecorated plate thickness to be about 1 mm along the deliberate left-hand breakage. • Figure 4: The micro-facets visible along part of the lower crack B suggest a brittle fracture mode, most probably intergranular SCC. • Figure 5: The intersecting pattern of cracks, at point C, also suggests a brittle fracture mode, again probably SCC. Note that the fragments are too large to represent individual grains. This region was skillfully repaired using a silver-painted filler material. Fig. 1 — Examples of damaged silver dishes and plates: (1) Caelian Hill missorium, 5th century AD, with arrows indicating narrow, open, and repaired annular cracks; (2) Casena plate and (3) Byzantine paten, 4th and 7th century AD, with large annular cracks and material losses; (4) Several Kaiseraugst Treasure dishes and plates, 4th century AD, the three larger ones with evident annular cracks. Note: The Casena plate and the partly shown dish from the Kaiseraugst Treasure included areas of silver gilt. Courtesy of A. Alemi (1); J.P. Northover (3); Wikipedia/Wikimedia Commons (2,4).
ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JULY 2026 16 Irrespective of the actual causes of these cracks and the repairs, the condition of the missorium mandates very careful handling, as stated for other cracked and embrittled artifacts[6]. Figures 2, 3, and 5 demonstrate that the missorium has been partially restored (no details available) and put on display with great care. DAMAGE ASSESSMENT Macrophotography is useful for noninvasively assessing the damage incurred to ancient valuable artifacts when scientific analyses are not permitted. However, this is possible only when noninvasive features and analyses of other objects can be cross-correlated with the macrophotographic assessments. A recent example is damage assessment for the high-status Enkomi cup[5]. This article uses the same approach in assessing typical and less usual damage to large silver dishes and plates from the late Roman and early Byzantine Empires; in particular, the deliberate pre-burial and long-term burial damage shown by the missorium. Annular SCC damage is a common feature leading to partial losses of silver from the artifacts. The prevalence of this type of damage is due to residual tensile stresses introduced by chasing tools while making decorative annular grooves[2]. As stated earlier, stress relief annealing was unknown in ancient times[5]. The missorium’s situation has been complicated by breakage into three pieces before burial. Over time in the ground, the strong local deformation at and near the edges of the breaks encouraged additional SCC, including a region of intersecting cracks that led to fragmentation, point C in Fig. 5, and some loss of material. Also, from close inspection of Fig. 2 it was observed that the annular crack, A, around the central medallion had linked up with cracks growing from the breaks on either side. Without careful (and unobtrusive) repair this linkage could have led to separation of the central piece into two, if it had not occurred already. DECORATIONS AND ICONOGRAPHY Figures 1 and 2 display examples of the decorations and iconography imparted to the large silver dishes and plates. The workmanship is renowned for high quality befitting such Fig. 2 — Intermediate photographic details of damage and repair to the missorium, including the deliberate folding and breakage. A: annular cracks and missing original strips. B: cracks nucleating from the folded and broken edges of the three pieces. C: intersecting cracks nucleating from the folded and broken edge of the central piece. D: restoration addition of an annular silver strip. Fig. 3 — Partial repair of the lower crack B and a view of the deliberate left-hand breakage. At this location the undecorated plate thickness is approximately 1 mm. Fig. 4 — Micro-faceted crack growth along part of the lower crack B. Fig. 5 — Intersecting pattern of cracks with filler material at location C.
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