Assessment of hydrogen embrittlement behavior in Al-Zn-Mg alloy through multi-modal 3D image-based simulation

Fujihara, Hiro*; Toda, Hiroyuki*; Ebihara, Kenichi; Kobayashi, Masakazu*; Mayama, Tsuyoshi*; Hirayama, Kyosuke*; Shimizu, Kazuyuki*; Takeuchi, Akihisa*; Uesugi, Masayuki*

International Journal of Plasticity, 174, p.103897_1 - 103897_22, 2024/03

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijplas.2024.103897

Hydrogen(H) embrittlement in high-strength aluminum(Al) alloys is a crucial problem. H accumulation at the interface of precipitates in Al alloy is considered to cause embrittlement. However, there is no quantitative knowledge regarding the interaction between H distribution and stress field near cracks. In this study, using a multi-modal three-dimensional image-based simulation combining the crystal plasticity finite element method and H diffusion analysis, we tried to capture the stress distribution near the crack, its influence on the H distribution, and the probability of crack initiation in the experimental condition. As a result, it was found that grain boundary cracks transition to quasi-cleavage cracks in the region where the cohesive energy of the semi-coherent interface of MgZn precipitates decreases due to H accumulation near the tip. We believe the present simulation method successfully bridges nanoscale delamination and macroscale brittle fracture.

High quality single crystal growth of a novel superconductor UTe; Improvement of and multiple superconducting phase diagram

Sakai, Hironori; Haga, Yoshinori

Kotai Butsuri, 58(10), p.529 - 536, 2023/10

We have succeeded to grow high-quality UTe single crystals with excess uranium through molten salt flux method. We have also studied the superconducting phase diagram using the high-quality crystal applying the fields up to 25 T along the magnetic hard axis.

Polarized neutrons observed nanometer-thick crystalline ice plates in frozen glucose solution

Kumada, Takayuki; Nakagawa, Hiroshi; Miura, Daisuke; Sekine, Yurina; Motokawa, Ryuhei; Hiroi, Kosuke; Inamura, Yasuhiro; Oku, Takayuki; Oishi, Kazuki*; Morikawa, Toshiaki*; et al.

Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters (Internet), 14(34), p.7638 - 7643, 2023/08

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c01448

The structure of nano-ice crystals in rapidly frozen glucose solution was elucidated by using spin-contrast-variation small-angle neutron scattering, which distinguishes the nano-ice crystal signal from the frozen amorphous solution signal by the polarization-dependent neutron scattering. The analysis revealed that the nano-ice crystals form a planar structure with a diameter exceeding tens of nanometers and a thickness of 1 nm, which is close to the critical nucleation size. This result suggests that the glucose molecules are preferentially bound to a specific face of nano-ice crystals, and then block the crystal growth perpendicular to that face.

Magnetic ordering and structural phase transitions of NdSn ( = Rh and Ir)

Shimoda, Ami*; Iwasa, Kazuaki*; Kuwahara, Keitaro*; Sagayama, Hajime*; Nakao, Hironori*; Ishikado, Motoyuki*; Ohara, Takashi; Nakao, Akiko*; Hoshikawa, Akinori*; Ishigaki, Toru*

JPS Conference Proceedings (Internet), 38, p.011091_1 - 011091_6, 2023/05

https://doi.org/10.7566/JPSCP.38.011091

Outlining zircon growth in a granitic pluton using 3D cathodoluminescence patterns, U-Pb age, titanium concentration, and Th/U; Implications for the magma chamber process of Okueyama granite, Kyushu, Japan

Yuguchi, Takashi*; Ito, Daichi*; Yokoyama, Tatsunori; Sakata, Shuhei*; Suzuki, Satoshi*; Ogita, Yasuhiro; Yagi, Koshi*; Imura, Takumi*; Motai, Satoko*; Ono, Takeshi*

Lithos, 440-441, p.107026_1 - 107026_14, 2023/03

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lithos.2023.107026

We propose a new method for elucidating zircon growth in granitic plutons, based on variations in three-dimensional 3D cathodoluminescence (CL) patterns, U-Pb ages, titanium concentration, and Th/U ratios. We focused on the zircon growth processes in the Okueyama granite (OKG) in central Kyushu, Japan, to obtain interpretations of magma chamber processes that result in the formation of granitic plutons. The OKG consists of three lithofacies: biotite granite (BG), hornblende granite (HG), and hornblende granodiorite (HGD). To determine the 3D internal structure and growth pattern of a zircon crystal, we performed CL observations for multi-sections of the samples. Simultaneously, we also determined the zircon U-Pb age and titanium concentration of the center sections of the samples. The 3D distribution of the oscillatory zoning can be used to determine the crystal nucleus. The simultaneous determination of zircon U-Pb ages and Ti concentrations of the granite samples indicates the time-temperature (t-T) history of granitic magma before its solidification. The t-T histories of the BG, HG, and HGD represented similar cooling behaviors within the magma chamber: rapid cooling from the zircon crystallization temperature to the closure temperature of the biotite K-Ar system between 16 Ma and 10 Ma. The variations in the Th/U ratios against temperature also demonstrate a different trend at the boundary of approximately 670 C. Fractional crystallization in the magma chamber progressed significantly at temperatures above 670 C; below 670 C, crystallization progressed slowly, indicating only minimal changes in the magma composition. The variations in the Th/U ratio against temperature in the BG, HG, and HGD portrayed common tendencies, indicating the same behavior in the progression of fractional crystallization among the three lithofacies, which in turn, represented the same behavior within the entire magma chamber.

Abnormal grain growth; A Spontaneous activation of competing grain rotation

Liss, K.-D.*; Xu, P. G.; Shiro, Ayumi*; Zhang, S. Y.*; Yukutake, Eitaro*; Shobu, Takahisa; Akita, Koichi*

Advanced Engineering Materials, 9 Pages, 2023/00

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adem.202300470

Single crystal growth of superconducting UTe by molten salt flux method

Sakai, Hironori; Opletal, P.; Tokiwa, Yoshifumi; Yamamoto, Etsuji; Tokunaga, Yo; Kambe, Shinsaku; Haga, Yoshinori

Physical Review Materials (Internet), 6(7), p.073401_1 - 073401_10, 2022/07

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.6.073401

The molten salt flux method is applied as a new synthetic route for the single crystals of the spin-triplet superconductor UTe. The single crystals under an optimized growth condition with excess uranium exhibit a superconducting transition at K, which is the highest reported for this compound. The obtained crystals show a remarkably large residual resistivity ratio with respect to the room temperature value and a small residual electronic contribution in specific heat well below . These results indicate that the increase of in UTe can be achieved by reducing the disorder associated with uranium vacancies. The excess uranium in the molten salt acts as a reducing agent, preventing tetravalent uranium from becoming pentavalent and suppressing creation of uranium vacancies. At the same time, the relatively low growth temperature can suppress Te volatilization.

Structural & chemical study of molecular crystals based on precise positions of hydrogen atoms by single-crystal neutron diffraction

Ohara, Takashi

Nihon Kessho Gakkai-Shi, 64(2), p.132 - 139, 2022/05

https://doi.org/10.5940/jcrsj.64.132

no abstracts in English

Single-crystal structure analysis of non-deuterated triglycine sulfate by neutron diffraction at 20 and 298 K; A New disorder model for the 298 K structure

Terasawa, Yukana*; Ohara, Takashi; Sato, Sota*; Yoshida, Satoshi*; Asahi, Toru*

Acta Crystallographica Section E; Crystallographic Communications (Internet), 78(3), p.306 - 312, 2022/03

https://doi.org/10.1107/S2056989022000858

Development of spin-contrast-variation neutron powder diffractometry for extracting the structure factor of hydrogen atoms

Miura, Daisuke*; Kumada, Takayuki; Sekine, Yurina; Oku, Takayuki; Takata, Shinichi; Hiroi, Kosuke; Iwata, Takahiro*

J-PARC 22-02; J-PARC MLF Annual Report 2021, p.6 - 7, 2022/03

https://mlfinfo.jp/_src/resource/PEPngy9XwF/MLF_AR2021.pdf

We carried out spin contrast variation neutron powder diffractometry of glutamic acid crystal. The diffraction peak intensities varied as a function of proton polarization. We extracted the structure factor of hydrogen atoms from the variation of peak intensities.