Science Daily December 3, 2019
In the conventional high-temperature shape memory alloy Ti-Ta, the formation of this phase compromises completely the shape memory effect. Addition of other elements to form Ti-Ta-X alloys often modifies the transformation temperatures. Researchers in Germany used transparent descriptors derived from first-principles calculations to search for new ternary Ti-Ta-X alloys that combine stability and high temperatures. They suggest four alloys with these properties, namely Ti-Ta-Sb, Ti-Ta-Bi, Ti-Ta-In, and Ti-Ta-Sc. Their predictions for the most promising of these alloys, Ti-Ta-Sc, are subsequently fully validated by experimental investigations showing no traces of omega phase after cycling. Their computational strategy is transferable to other materials and may contribute to suppress omega phase formation in a large class of alloys…read more. TECHNICAL ARTI CLE