4 ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JANUARY 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. MODERN ALCHEMISTS Synonymous with each new calendar year is resolution setting and the urge to make improvements of all types. Individuals set personal goals. Managers define key performance objectives. Corporations establish quarterly targets. The whole world is focused on a period of reflection and planning for future advancements. In medieval times, there was a rigorous pursuit of attempting to turn lead into gold through various refinements. Though this traditional meaning of alchemy was proven non-productive, the broader desire to transform an existing state or process into something better remains a noble goal today. We have several examples of the successful pursuit of enhancements in this issue. Authors from Horiba, in a quest to recover precious metal resources from e-waste, developed a novel recycling method. Their successful purity analysis meets three critical requirements: speed in quality assurance, preservation of the sample, and accuracy along with automation. Their process eliminates human error and environmental contamination and results in high-volume, high-purity reusable precious material. Another lesson in process improvement is provided in our lead article. Laura Wilson from NASA Glenn Research Center shares a two-part method for achieving better materials characterization results. If one analytical method is good, two might be even better. Wilson combines electron backscatter diffraction and x-ray diffraction to give a fuller picture of a sample’s mineralogical phases. This pairing of analysis methods transforms the process and provides superior results. Another entity, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, is seeking to advance the metals processing industry. Their new report, which is referenced on our Sustainability news page, is based on input from experts, including several ASM members, who attended a July 2024 information gathering session. The “Materials Challenges in Developing a Sustainable Metal Processing Infrastructure—Workshop Report” highlights five strategies for improving the existing metals infrastructure: Advance measurement science for sustainable metals manufacturing; develop the technical basis to support standards development; enhance data and modeling tools; promote workforce development and education; and convene stakeholders to foster knowledge-sharing and innovation. A similar call for collaboration came during the Executive Leadership Forum at IMAT 2025 last October. The event brought together esteemed experts from academia and industry who served as moderators and panelists to discuss the future of the global materials ecosystem. A summary of key takeaways from their conversation is provided in this issue. Navin Manjooran, FASM, as chair, emphasized the critical role ASM International plays in connecting materials experts across various sectors. He suggested that our Society is uniquely poised to encourage collaborations that can lead to future materials advancements. As individuals, as a Society, as an industry, we all can be alchemists in the best sense of the word, working to transform our areas of influence for the better in the coming year and beyond. joanne.miller@asminternational.org Watercolor of 17th century alchemist workshop. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
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