Development of robust surfaces for harsh service environments from the perspective of phase formation and transformation

Abstract

The rise of the materials genome and materials informatics has enabled the accelerated development of robust surfaces for harsh service environments in the nuclear, aerospace and marine industries. Accurate information on the phase formation and transformation of materials (particularly coating materials) in synthesis and service processes is a prerequisite for the successful optimization of their properties. However, both these processes proceed under non-equilibrium conditions, making the traditional CALPHAD (CALculation of PHAse Diagrams) approach incapable of describing the phase relation and stability. Hence, this study provides a brief review on the recent research advances pertaining to the phase formation during coating deposition, the phase transformation in service and the materials optimization targeted for demanding working conditions. We also summarize the challenges of expanding phase diagram databases with a wide adaptability to metastable phase formation and non-equilibrium phase transformation in multicomponent systems. Through the elaboration of each research case, this review provides new insights into the surface protection of materials serving in harsh environments.

Keywords

Surface coating / harsh service environments / metastable phase formation / non-equilibrium phase transformation / phase diagram databases / CALPHAD / first-principles calculations / high-throughput experiments

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