Slight amounts of carbon (0:015{0:1mass%) were added into the Fe-30Mn-6Si-5Cr shape memory alloy. The microstructure, precipitation behaviour and shape memory performance of these Fe59Mn30Si6Cr5CX alloys with various thermo-mechanical treatments were investigated. Experimental results show that two particles, the -phase and M23C6 carbide, are observed within the grain-boundary phases. M23C6 car...

The active site of nitrogenase, the M-cluster, is a metal-sulfur cluster containing a carbide at its core. Using radiolabeling experiments, we show that this carbide originates from the methyl group of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) and that it is inserted into the M-cluster by the assembly protein NifB. Our SAM cleavage and deuterium substitution analyses suggest a similarity between the mechanism...

Ultra-high temperature ceramics are desirable for applications in the hypersonic vehicle, rockets, re-entry spacecraft and defence sectors, but few materials can currently satisfy the associated high temperature ablation requirements. Here we design and fabricate a carbide (Zr0.8Ti0.2C0.74B0.26) coating by reactive melt infiltration and pack cementation onto a C/C composite. It displays superio...

Tungsten-containing amorphous carbon films were produced by dual magnetron sputter deposition. The formation of carbide phases after heat treatment in inert gas at temperatures up to 2800 K was investigated by X-ray diffraction for tungsten concentrations below 25 at%. After deposition, each film consists of an amorphous carbon matrix with atomically dispersed W inclusions. Annealing up to 2800...

Iron carbide is among the oldest known materials. The utility of this ancient advanced material is greatly extended in its nanostructured forms. We demonstrate for the first time that one-dimensional iron carbide microfibres can be assembled in liquid using strong magnetic field-assisted laser ablation. The giant saturation magnetisation of these particles was measured a 261 emu/g at room tempe...

A novel microstructural architecture consisting of Cr23C6 carbide spatial columns was created in solid components of Co-26Cr-6Mo-0.2C fabricated from powder by additive manufacturing using electron beam melting. These columns of carbides extended in the build direction and are formed by the x-y rastering of the electron beam to pre-heat and melt powder layers using CAD models. These microstruct...

A series of medium-carbon low alloy steels was quenched to martensite and tempered at 150 C. This low-temperature-tempered (LTT) martensite was subjected to uniaxial tensile and impact testing. Yield and ultimate tensile strength and uniform elongation increased, and post uniform and total elongation and fracture toughness decreased, with increasing carbon concentration. The carbon dependence o...

Silicon is receiving discernable attention as an active material for next generation lithium-ion battery anodes because of its unparalleled gravimetric capacity. However, the large volume change of silicon over charge-discharge cycles weakens its competitiveness in the volumetric energy density and cycle life. Here we report direct graphene growth over silicon nanoparticles without silicon carb...

To achieve optimal mechanical properties in high manganese steels, the precipitation of nanoprecipitates of vanadium and niobium carbides is under investigation. It is shown that under controlled heat treatments between 850°C and 950°C following hot deformation, few-nanometre precipitates of either carbide can be produced in test steels with suitable contents of vanadium or niobium. The structu...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the durability of tungsten carbide burs for the fabrication of titanium crowns using two dental CAD/CAM systems (DECSY, Digital Process, Japan and Cadim, Advance, Japan). A tungsten carbide bur in each system was examined and used without fracture to fabricate 51 titanium crowns. For both systems tiny chips were found on the bur blade at the 11th machin...