A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | M A Y / J U N E 2 0 2 2 8 METALS | POLYMERS | CERAMICS and high-capacity batteries. The name of the new family of 2Dmaterials is transition metal carbo-chalcogenides, or TMCC. It combines the characteristics of two families of 2D materials—transition metal carbides and transition metal dichalcogenides. The latter is a large family of materials that has been explored extensively and found to be very promising, especially for electrochemical energy storage and conversion. However, one downside is their low electrical conductivity and stability. Conversely, transition metal carbides are excellent electrical conductors with much more powerful conductivity. Merging the two families into one is anticipated to have great potential for many applications such as batteries and supercapacitors, catalysis, sensors, and electronics. “We used an electrochemicalassisted exfoliation process by inserting lithium ions in-between the layers of bulk transition metals carbochalcogenides followed by agitation in water,” explains researcher Ahmad Doctoral student William Trehern operating a vacuum arc melter—a synthesis method commonly used to create high-purity alloys of various compositions. Courtesy of Texas A&M Engineering. ALLOY DISCOVERY Using an Artificial Intelligence Materials Selection framework (AIMS), researchers from Texas A&M University, College Station, have discovered a new shape memory alloy. The shape memory alloy showed the highest efficiency during operation achieved thus far for nickel-titanium-based materials. In addition, the researchers’ data-driven framework offers proof of concept for future materials development. The shape memory alloy found during the study using AIMS was predicted and proven to achieve the narrowest hysteresis ever recorded. Essentially, the material showed the lowest energy loss when converting thermal energy to mechanical work. The material showcased high efficiency when subject to thermal cycling due to its extremely small LIFT, a national manufacturing innovation institute based in Detroit, granted a “U LIFT Challenge” project award to the University of Central Florida, Orlando, to further explore metallic alloys used in additive manufacturing (AM). Researchers will establish thermokinetic criteria to determine printability and buildability of metallic alloys for powder bed fusion AM. www.lift.technology. BRIEF transformation temperature window. It also exhibited excellent cyclic stability under repeated actuation. Typical shape memory alloys are nickel-titaniumcopper compositions. These alloys normally have titanium equal to 50% and form a single-phase material. Using machine learning, the researchers predicted a different composition with titanium equal to 47% and copper equal to 21%. While this composition is in the two-phase region and forms particles, they help enhance the material’s properties, the researchers explain. In particular, this high-efficiency shape memory alloy lends itself to thermal energy harvesting, which requires materials that can capture waste energy produced by machines and put it to use, and thermal energy storage, which is used for cooling electronic devices. More notably, the AIMS framework offers the opportunity to use machine-learning techniques in materials science. The researchers see potential to discover more shape memory alloy chemistries with desired characteristics for various other applications. tamu.edu. NEW2DMATERIALS Researchers from Tulane University, NewOrleans, developed a new family of 2D materials with promising applications, including in advanced electronics Michael Naguib, professor at Tulane, is an expert in two-dimensional material and electrochemical energy storage. Courtesy of Paula Burch-Celentano.
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